The Devil Among Us Act 2
by HazzatheMan
Summary: Sequel to The Devil Among Us Act 1. Reading the first Act is highly recommended so that you know what's happening/who the new characters are. Again it's rated a strong M for language, sex and violence. Reviews would be massively appreciated as always!
1. Life Without Love part 1

**Life Without Love part 1 - Changes**

**Well dear readers; I am finally satisfied with the first chapter of Act 2; please enjoy!**

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><p>O Nowhere<p>

The sky is sunny, the ground is cool and plush and the breeze is mild and inviting. A man of rugged perfection in a white button down shirt, sleeves rolled up and top buttons undone, loose black tie and work slacks but barefoot, stands in the middle of what he can only assume is the final reward of the Afterlife.

He whispers "I'm in Heaven"

Bigby lies down on the ground with his hands behind his head and his eyes half open; taking in the sheer peacefulness of his surroundings. Someone lays down next to him in the same way however and the one voice Bigby didn't want to hear ever again spoke bluntly "No; you're not"

The ground suddenly turned hard, the breeze stopped altogether and the surrounding area became dull and misty; Bigby slowly stood up and looked around for whoever was speaking to him. He turned around several times before seeing Nick in his human form standing in front of him grinning.

"You!" Bigby charged at Nick, but the Devil simply waved his hand up and Bigby stopped dead in his tracks before becoming suspended in the air. Nick mockingly waved his finger side-to-side "You're in my world now Wolfie and don't you forget it"

Bigby tried to struggle against his invisible restraints but couldn't move a muscle; he was helpless and alone...

"Where am I?" Nick smiled and brought Bigby's feet back down to the ground.

"You are basically in Purgatory my friend; I couldn't break you to my will whilst you were alive so I ripped your soul out of your body and now you are stuck here until you submit to me!"

Bigby narrowed his gaze "So I'm dead then..."

Nick chuckled "No; you're not dead, but you're not alive either..."

This just confused Bigby even more "I don't understand..."

Nick huffed exasperatedly and pulled up a lavish red velvet chair out of nothing and slumped into it with his leg crossed over his knee, Bigby remained standing.

"Then I'll explain! Look; the soul is required to give life to a body, but if you take a soul from a living body then said body becomes a shell waiting to be filled again... that's what I did to you. If you returned to your body at any point you would come back to life and everyone'll be happy-cheery again."

Bigby then frantically thought of every possible way to get out of this situation "So where's my body?"

Nick smirked and waved his hand outwards, he and Bigby were now standing amongst the crowd at his funeral during Snow's eulogy; both men were also wearing their respective trench coats.

"Wha- Snow? Snow I'm here; Snow!" Bigby yelled out but no one heard him; no one seemed to know he was there and he passed through everyone like a ghost.

"You're 'dead' you idiot; this is your funeral and it's only been 3 days since you 'died'" Nick put a hand on his shoulder but Bigby shrugged it off and ran up to Snow and desperately tried to touch her, failing every time.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Bigby yelled at Nick as he ran back and went to punch him; Nick simply grabbed his fist and turned his head to make him watch the scene play out, tightly gripping his chin as he twisted his arm behind his back.

"This is your punishment for not listening to me in the first place whelp" Bigby watched the scene up until Snow said her final goodbyes; he heard every word and became teary eyed for the first time since he could remember as a stray tear rolled down his cheek and dropped to the floor.

Both men instantly became confused by the sudden arrival of the North Wind; who appeared to stare at Nick more so than Bigby after saying his peace to the grave.

The two men suddenly appeared back in the room that they were in before and Nick seemed to be in denial at what Mr North had just done.

"That was... unexpected" Bigby saw Nick falter and had to crack a smile "Someone not as powerful as they think they are?"

Nick marched up to Bigby and broke his nose with his boot; sending Bigby to the ground "You aren't in a position to mock me, Wolf!"

With that Nick disappeared in a flash of black and blue smoke and Bigby was alone again.

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><p>O The Woodland's cells, the day of the funeral<p>

Nick would swiftly move back to his cell if ever someone came down to check on him and see if he was still there; every time he would grin and wave his fingers mockingly at them and most of the time they would look at him with murderous intent or even spit on him.

When he was alone he would move back to Mary's cell and cuddle with her on the bed, she was tiny compared to him but both Fables respected each other's power and size made no difference.

"So what do you plan on doing with Bigby?" Mary looked up at Nick's face; he had his eyes closed and was smiling happily as he rested against the wall with his hands behind his head as Mary traced the outlines of his muscles through his t-shirt.

He looked down at her and teased the skin of her back through her torn shirt "I'm gonna break him"

Mary nodded and smiled before closing her eyes and resting her head against Nick's chest, feeling it rise and fall as he breathed slowly and calmly.

Nick closed his eyes and fell asleep almost instantly; Nick didn't sleep because when he did he would become transported into his little realm where he could harass and torture his stolen souls until they broke to his will. His newest victim was Bigby Wolf and it would be a long time before he would break to Nick's will.

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><p>O 2 Weeks after the Funeral<p>

Snow was sitting on her sofa watching something pointless on the TV; it was close to 10pm now and she had no desire to fall asleep. Since Bigby's death nothing had been the same and she hadn't stopped wearing the snowflake necklace he gave her, she would rub it from time to time whenever she felt desperately lonely but it would only calm her for a short while.

In memory of him, Snow had his name tag had been replaced with a permanent listing on the wall directory in the lobby and the Security Office still said B. Wolf on the door; she had put off appointing a new Sheriff officially as she couldn't bear the thought of working with someone who wasn't Bigby.

She missed him so much.

She missed the unmistakable stench of cigarettes whenever he was near, the slight smell of bourbon and tobacco on his breath when he spoke close enough to her, the warmth he radiated when he embraced her, the way his rough hands sent shivers down her spine and made her knees weak when he touched her with such gentle grace, the feel of his rough, dry lips as he kissed her in a way that Charming never knew, and she craved the love that he had held for her for so long...

Snow wiped a stray tear away at her thoughts; she still had to play the no-nonsense ice queen when she was working however, it wouldn't help for her to be reduced to a sobbing mess when she had an entire community to run.

But the absence didn't just affect Snow it seemed.

The amount of crime in the town had been reduced significantly and everyone seemed to be in a more depressive mood at not seeing the Wolf in Man's clothing walking through the streets every day, smoking heavily, eyeing them up and looking intimidating as usual. Change wasn't something Fabletown was used to and it seemed that the loss of Bigby was a change that no one wanted to accept.

What was worse was how Bigby's killer was still alive!

2 days after the funeral; Nick was brought to the Witching Well chamber to be put on trial for crimes relating to the Crooked Man and of course Bigby's murder. It quickly transpired that sentencing Nick was no easy task: he would break out of the restraints and begin harassing the present Fables about his 'accomplishment'; he'd even attack those that insulted him or provoked him enough.

It was too dangerous to put him on trial and the Witches weren't having an easy time figuring out how to harm or restrain him effectively either as his magic was vastly more powerful than their own.

It was settled that he remain imprisoned until a solution was found, but Nick refused to let anyone take Mary away from him for her own sentencing and thus they both shared a cell and lived off of the community taxes as prisoners.

Snow clenched her fist tightly at how everything had gone so wrong when Nick came into the picture; she wanted to murder him in the most violent ways possible and throw his corpse down the Witching Well herself...

A knock was heard at the door and Snow sighed heavily as she lifted herself from the couch and turned off the TV; she was still in her blouse and skirt and her hair was down.

She opened the door to a less than pleasant sight; it was Prince Charming.

"What do you want?" Snow made no attempt at hiding her annoyance as she stared at the impossibly cute and well dressed man in front of her; he smelled faintly of women's perfume so he had obviously been with someone recently.

"I just wanted to make sure you were doing ok, darling" Charming always liked to annoy Snow by referring to her in ways that would remind them of their failed marriage, usually Snow would respond mockingly by calling him something similar though right now she wasn't in the mood.

"I'm fine, Charming" Snow crossed her arms and pulled a stern look as if to say 'just go away'.

Charming lent against the doorframe and smirked upon seeing the necklace "Come now Snow bunny; you've been more and more reclusive recently, why don't you tell me what's on your mind?"

Snow continued to stare at him and Charming stood up straight again and stepped forward a little, Snow didn't budge but sighed in defeat regardless "I don't care what you do, just don't try anything stupid". With that she let him in.

Charming instantly sat down on her sofa and Snow offered him a glass of wine.

"Now dear, what's bothering you?" Charming smiled and Snow leaned back against the sofa before speaking "I thought I could look after myself and be perfectly ok alone, but now Bigby's gone and nothing makes sense to me anymore"

Charming's smile seemed to fade a little when she finished, he had learned of Snow and Bigby's relationship just before the funeral but didn't attend it as he was still in Europe at the time.

"Well dear, that might be because he didn't betray you like everyone else has; but unfortunately he's gone now and you will need to step up to the plate once more before someone else steps up instead" Charming seemed to be grinning now.

Snow looked at Charming intently "Excuse me? What do you mean by 'step up to the plate'?"

Charming leaned back "I mean that Mayor Cole might have to hire a new Deputy Mayor if his current one can't do the job properly because her dream died before it could begin"

Snow wanted to hit him "How dare you! You have no right to tell me that I can't do my job because I'm still grieving; yes I still miss Bigby but in time I will come to accept that truth and live with it"

Charming didn't seem convinced at all "And how long will that take, hmm? Days, weeks, months, maybe even years?"

What he was saying held some truth, Snow didn't know how long she would grieve over Bigby, she would miss him for the rest of her life that much was certain, but how long would it be before she could go a whole 24 hours without shedding a tear or waking up in a cold sweat...

Snow was so lost in her thoughts she didn't notice Charming leaning closer to her "What are you doing?"

Charming was inches away now and he slowly moved a hand to the back of Snow's head, he whispered softly "Fixing your broken heart" Then he pressed his lips to hers.

Snow closed her eyes as she made contact and was overwhelmed by the familiar feeling of a man's lips against her own, the way they washed her pain away and made everything seem ok again... but this wasn't what Snow wanted and she remembered a little too late that she wasn't kissing her beloved Wolf.

Snow pulled away hastily before the kiss could deepen and slapped Charming hard; he recoiled in surprise "Ow!"

Snow slapped him again but a little harder and Charming yelped and stood up from the sofa, backing away as an angry Snow marched towards him.

"Snow-"

"Shut up and get out! If you try and do that ever again I'll cut your tongue out!" Snow was absolutely furious; Charming quickly left the apartment and Snow closed the door and collapsed against it sobbing, holding her arms tightly and trying not to think of her lost love. She felt as though she had done to Bigby what Charming had done to her centuries ago: she had betrayed him.

* * *

><p>O Nowhere<p>

"Well isn't that a shame, I thought it was gonna go somewhere..." Nick brought Bigby back into his realm after the pair had watched the scene between Snow and Charming play out. Bigby hadn't eaten anything or slept at all since he got there; he was suffering from phantom cravings and although he felt completely exhausted, sleep would never find him. After seeing what Snow and Charming had done, Bigby was overwhelmed with both sadness and anger.

"When I get out of here I'm gonna serve your heart up to her myself" Bigby's voice was strained and weak due to his loneliness from everything but his anger was evident nonetheless.

Nick just laughed as he circled Bigby "You can't get out Wolf; I've already told you that"

Bigby had given up on struggling against the raw power of the Devil before him; Nick would always win a fight and Bigby would suffer pain beyond belief as a result. But he wouldn't give in to the creature's will; never.

"Anything else you want to see?" Nick stopped in front of Bigby and lifted up the Wolf's chin to stare into his eyes.

"Just fuck off and leave me alone" Bigby was looking at Nick, but rather trying to look through him.

Nick huffed and disappeared; Bigby collapsed to floor and curled up on the ground, he wished for some company and for once he wished as hard as he could for it. Then something amazing happened.

Bigby slowly stood up at the sound of footsteps and turned around to see Snow staring back at him smiling. He sprinted to her but went straight through and tumbled to the ground, she turned to him and spoke softly "This isn't his world Bigby, you need to find a way out" She disappeared into nothing and Bigby almost cried at her sudden departure. Then another set of footsteps followed by a hand on his shoulder "How are you doing in here, Wolf?"

Bigby turned around to see a large man standing before him; he had long black hair and dead grey skin, he had muscle but it was horribly enhanced by the severe lack of body fat he possessed, his eyes were dark red and he spoke with a highly pronounced accent that sounded like a mix of British and American. He was wearing torn up robes that were almost black in colour and had layers of bone covering certain parts of his body like armour.

"Who are you?" Bigby would never admit it, but the mere sight of this thing scared him a little.

"My name is Death"

Bigby felt relaxed upon hearing the name "You were one of the 4 Horsemen weren't you?"

Death nodded "Yes; I sacrificed myself so that the Harbinger could not reap his havoc upon the Homelands and the Mundane worlds as he pleased."

Bigby needed to know "How did you stop him the first time?"

Death bowed his head a little "We didn't stop him, we simply discovered a way to control him. You see, when you possess the power of Death itself, you have to think of every possibility, both likely and impossible, that could be achieved with such power. I was the oldest and wisest of my brothers and because of this, it was deemed that I possessed the wisdom and clarity needed to be able to wield such power without becoming a Great Destroyer"

"When the Harbinger killed War; I realised too late that I wouldn't be able to stop him by myself without sending the Universe into absolute chaos; even though he possesses the souls of me and my brothers and uses our powers as he pleases, 'Nick' as he calls himself, can never control the 4 Horsemen completely. We are constantly fighting for release from his captivity, but only I can release them..."

Bigby spoke "So why don't you?"

Death shook his head a little and chuckled quietly "Because when I sacrificed myself to reduce the Harbinger to a mere spirit, I allowed myself to be captured by Nick, therefore I am reduced to a wandering spirit in this realm that can talk to those who enter it, like you, but cannot do anything else. You haven't yet succumbed to him, so you still possess enough power to escape."

Despite Death's words, Bigby was still losing what hope he had left "Is there a way to stop him?"

Death smiled "Yes; but to do so you will have to find my scythe, it is located somewhere in the Homelands. That scythe can rip souls from bodies just like Nick can; if you rip out mine and my brother's souls then we can deal with him permanently..."

Bigby perked up in an instant "Ok, so how do I get out of here?"

Death began to slowly fade away into dust "The sea is tainted and so is the Nuckelavee, freshwater is its only weakness now..."

He disappeared and an idea hit Bigby in full force.

He wished as hard as he could and the ground in front of him crumbled and sank several feet deep and began to fill with the purest water whilst rain fell heavily from the sky; Bigby couldn't change form from a human, but his plan would succeed regardless, it had to.

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><p>O The Witching Well Chamber, sometime later<p>

"You can all fuck off back to your homes; you know that this won't work!" Nick was being suspended in the air by Totenkinder and was once again being put on trial for Bigby's murder; Snow was at the forefront of it all.

"Why do we have to follow the charter with this fucker; we all saw him kill Bigby so why don't we just throw him down the fucking Well already!?" Grendel was met with a yell of concurrence from everyone else in the chamber.

Snow pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head "Because we unfortunately have to treat everyone with respect when they are in our custody, if I had it my way then this trial wouldn't be happening, but I can't have it my way, so therefore it has to happen..."

In amongst the arguing, Nick had started whistling 'Drunken Sailor' and was slowly lowering to the ground; Totenkinder just looked at him with contempt and spoke "He's broken my spell it seems".

Nick broke out of the handcuffs and casually strolled past the surrounding Fables all the way out of the chamber, whistling as he did so and giving Snow the finger over his shoulder. Grimble followed Nick all the way from the Business Office to the door of his cell, Nick walked in, flopped back onto his bed and shut his eyes as Grimble locked the door and walked away.

Snow and the others dispersed once more; Nick had resorted to simply going back to his cell instead of attacking or insulting everyone when he escaped his trial, no one knew why he didn't just leave the Woodland's but in a way they were thankful for it, it meant that they wouldn't have to re-capture him when the time came.

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><p>O Nowhere<p>

Nick landed back in his realm and instantly noticed the rain; he winced in pain as the tiny droplets seemed to burn into his skin a little and he quickly put on his hooded coat to protect himself.

Nick whispered in confusion "What the fuck is this bullshit?"

Nick heard low breathing behind him and turned around cautiously.

Bigby growled as he threw himself at Nick as soon as he turned around and tackled him across the room; Nick didn't bother struggling as he wanted to see what Bigby would do to him, it was the wrong decision to make...

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><p><strong>Next time: Bigby escapes a fate worse than death and returns to Fabletown...<strong>

**So originally this chapter began with 'the Woodland's cells, the day of the funeral' and the new beginning was meant to be in Chapter 21 of the previous Act; but I moved it here to keep up the suspense :)**

**Also, Greenleaf was meant to explain how Bigby could escape, but I replaced her with Death as nothing I wrote made sense with Greenleaf being the one to help Bigby get out and introducing one of the Horsemen instead was kinda cool imo.**


	2. Life Without Love part 2

**Life Without Love part 2 – The Return**

**Ok this chapter doesn't have the best pacing in the world; but I want to get all of this out the way so I can focus on the main parts of this Act. Either way I hope you like the reunion between everyone's favourite couple :)**

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><p>Bigby threw himself forward after tackling Nick for a short distance and the pair landed in a deep pool of freshwater that must've been a good 3-4 feet deep.<p>

Nick thrashed about wildly and screamed like a man that had been set on fire as the water seemed to be melting his skin from his bones, he was steaming and crying and yelling in the hopes that the unbearable pain would end.

Bigby pushed Nick under the surface and proceeded to choke him with as much strength as he could muster with both hands as he pinned him down with his weight; Nick continued to struggle and yell under the water and he wrapped a hand tightly around Bigby's neck.

Bigby felt himself getting considerably weaker as Nick continued to grip him but eventually the creature let go and Bigby saw the brightest white lights flash all around him and he felt himself being lifted high up into the air as he found sleep for the first time since he had reached that terrible place.

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><p>O The Cemetery, Bigby's grave<p>

When Bigby woke up he wished that he hadn't: the smell was like being surrounded by rotting human flesh, dead flowers and the very essence of the earth, it was dark and quiet, very quiet. Bigby felt movement in his hands again and immediately searched his pockets for anything he could find, he found his lighter in the breast pocket of his suit jacket...

"_Am I wearing a suit?"_ Bigby's eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness and he realised that he was lying down inside a coffin.

He was alive again!

He sparked up the lighter after many failed attempts and saw dead roses and old notes scattered around him; he didn't have time to read them though, right now he needed to get back up to ground level.

Bigby tried to morph into a different form but again nothing was happening; he felt a sudden rush of adrenaline at the thought of being helpless and began to punch and dig his hands into the wooden lid of his casket, ignoring the pain and his bleeding knuckles. The wood eventually broke away and the dirt began to spill in as Bigby forced his way through the earth, his hand reached a space of thin air that he could only assume was above ground.

Bigby clawed his way out of the ground and lay on his back, breathing in deeply and heavily; he started chuckling lowly to himself at his victory: he had cheated a fate worse than death at the hands of a so-called Devil. Bigby stood up and stumbled about aimlessly in the dark humidity of the night, following the smells of nearby familiar people in the hopes that he could rest and eat something before returning to normality.

* * *

><p>O The Trip Trap, 8 months after Bigby's death<p>

Woody and Gren were both drinking at the bar whilst Holly cleaned up some empty glasses. Woody had been more secluded since Bigby died and Holly and Gren felt for him, they missed Bigby too and in memory of him, Holly had his picture on the wall for regulars framed and enhanced.

The photo was of Bigby smoking with a half smile of course, but it held the same emotions regardless.

The door swung open violently and a rough looking man covered in dirt and wearing a foul smelling suit fell inside and collapsed limply to the floor; Holly rushed over to the man and instantly filled with a mix of surprise and joy.

"Holy- Guys, its Bigby!"

Gren and Woody quickly rushed over to Holly as she shifted Bigby onto his back; he was breathing slowly and looked like he was passed out drunk.

Woody cradled Bigby's head and yelled "We need to call Swineheart now!"

Gren ran over to the phone and had to dial the number twice before he got the right one; Swineheart picked up on the 2nd ring "Hello?"

"Swineheart, get your ass over to the Trip Trap right now and be ready for this, it's Bigby!"

Bigby stirred a little and grabbed for Woody's shoulder tightly and brought him closer before speaking at a coarse whisper "Don't... tell... Snow"

And then he fell limp once again.

* * *

><p>O The Knights of Malta Hospital, that same evening<p>

Bigby woke up in what he assumed was a Hospital ward as a rush of smells like medicine hit him all at once. He shifted himself to the side but fell out of the bed he was in; he began shaking violently on the floor and suddenly felt sick.

He coughed and sputtered before he violently threw up a large amount of disgusting black and brown bile that made him cry a little at how much it was burning his insides.

He felt suddenly felt hands picking him up and putting him back onto the bed and he heard a varied mix of voices all around him, his vision was blurry and so was his hearing.

The voices sounded panicked and they were a mix of male and female; Bigby slowly fell back into unconsciousness as he saw an older looking man in a white coat come up to him.

When Bigby opened his eyes again he was met with shining light and familiar silhouettes of those he once called friends staring back at him.

Bigby tried to move but the slightest bit of movement made him ache all over and he felt sick again; he threw his head over the side of the bed and threw up once more, it didn't burn as much as it did previously but it did make Bigby feel like shit.

"Don't worry old boy; that won't last for much longer" Bigby looked up again to see Swineheart in a white lab coat standing in front of him smirking; behind him were Gren, Holly, Woody, Beauty and Beast

"What's... happening... to me?" Bigby spoke with a gruffer tone than usual, his throat was dry as a bone and so was his mouth. He glanced down to see that he wasn't wearing a shirt, but he could feel thick cotton on his lower body so at least he wasn't completely nude...

"I don't know how to tell you this Bigby but... you've been dead and buried for nearly 8 months, it's the middle of June right now!" Beast spoke to his friend and stood next to the bed; he put his hand on Bigby's shoulder and Bigby relaxed a little at the gesture.

"Yes Beast, thank you for that; you see Bigby because you have been 'dead' for so long your body had started to decompose and now it has to get used to restarting all over again. Your wounds have all healed up though, which means that you must've been alive for quite some time before you broke out of that coffin..." Swineheart's voice was the same as it always was, but it did seem to have a hint of relief in it.

"I was buried alive... Nick took my soul... tortured me... tried to break me... motherfucker" Bigby was trying to shift himself up but failed so Beast helped him move further up the pillow instead.

"That's another thing Bigby... Nick escaped custody back in late November" Beast spoke with a look of sorrow on his face, Bigby filled with rage and clenched his fists as tight as he could at the thought of Nick being not only alive, but no longer secure in the Woodland's.

"It would seem that you have been 'buried alive' as you put it for months now; it would explain why you're dehydrated and malnourished for a start. The bile is just dead tissue being expelled by your system as a clear out, well I guess you could put that way..." The last part of Swineheart's sentence was more of a whisper to himself rather than to anyone else.

Bigby shook his head slowly with his eyes closed as he tried to think about something other than the so-called Devil; Beauty offered Bigby a large glass of cold water and he drank it down within a few seconds, he sighed and spoke "Who's the new Sheriff then?" He certainly sounded much better afterwards.

The group all looked at each other for a moment and Woody spoke up "There isn't one, not really. Snow couldn't bring herself to appoint a new Sheriff officially so Bluebeard does all the physical work and she and Boy Blue do all the extra paperwork when he's not around..."

Bigby sat up straight without help this time and stared at Woody with an open mouth "Bluebeard is the fucking Sheriff!?"

Beast spoke next "Not officially, he just deals with problems that don't require just paperwork to solve. To be honest though his method of working is either attacking or paying off Fables so that they'll shut up about their problems, he sits in your office all day relaxing and only does work when he wants to. Mayor Cole's afraid to tell him to quit in case he decides to stop funding Fabletown altogether..."

Bigby sat up on the edge of the bed but didn't stand "Fine; did anyone tell Snow I'm alive?" The others in the room all shook their heads; Bigby heaved a sigh of relief.

Beauty then spoke "Why don't you want her to know your alive? She's been a mess ever since you, well you know..."

Bigby looked at her "I want to tell her myself, I owe her that much..."

* * *

><p>O 2 days later, evening<p>

"Are you sure you're good to leave the hospital so soon, Bigby?"

Bigby was walking with Cindy out of the hospital; he had recovered quickly from his problems and decided to get back on track with things. He called Cindy to pick him up because she was trustworthy and could provide him with what he needed, he was wearing jeans and a blue plaid shirt with rolled up sleeves (courtesy of Cindy) and had sparked up a cigarette for the first time since his return from the grave.

He inhaled the cheap smoke and exhaled it slowly, the familiar taste was soothing and it blocked his senses just as it always would "Yes Cindy, I'm sure; can we go now?"

Bigby had been adamant on getting out of the Hospital since the morning after his return; however his body ached so much that moving was painful and he stumbled and tripped quite a lot before finally regaining the full use of his muscles after repeated attempts at trying, and of course intense physiotherapy with Swineheart.

Cindy and Bigby walked to her car and she drove them both down to her apartment. Much like Rose, Cindy didn't live in the Woodland's but unlike Rose she did live fairly close to Bullfinch Street as her shoe shop was located there.

It was the usual when Bigby crashed at Cindy's: she would play the perfect host and cook him an amazing steak dinner and offer him either her large sofa or even her own bed for him to sleep in. This time around however, Bigby had chosen her bed.

"Why do you want to sleep in the bed with me?" This was the first time that Bigby had accepted Cindy's 'second offer' and she was utterly confused by it.

"Good steak as always by the way; I don't want to be alone for too long, you know in case I seize up or something and besides the mattress will be comfier than your sofa..." He gave her a puppy face and she giggled at it.

"Ok fine"

Bigby had gotten under the covers in just his briefs and completely ignored Cindy when she got in next to him in her black lace underwear; he wouldn't deny that Cindy was hot, but he was with Snow and he and Cindy were just friends.

Cindy gave him a 'goodnight kiss' on the cheek and rolled over and away from the heat that he was giving off.

Bigby tried to find sleep but every now and then he would wake up at the faintest smell of something sad; he couldn't quite make out whose scent it was at first, but it suddenly hit him in full force and Bigby climbed out of the bed and slipped on his clothes.

He sprinted through the pain of his tired out muscles all the way down to the Woodland's and was relieved to find that Trusty John wasn't manning the door and Grimble was asleep as usual; he jumped into the elevator and pushed the button for Snow's floor frantically until the doors closed.

Grimble knew that someone had come into the building however and he smiled a big smile at seeing Bigby rushing into the elevator, _"Welcome back, Bigby" _It was Grimble's last thought before he drifted back to sleep again with the smile still on his face.

* * *

><p>O The Woodland's, Snow's apartment<p>

Snow was about ready to take a long hot shower before she heard loud knocking at the door. She had had a few glasses of wine to drink and the thought of Bigby had come back to her without warning, she would have to hide her sorrow as best she could for now.

"_Just who the hell could that be, it's nearly 11pm!"_ She slipped on her bath robe and wrapped it up tightly to conceal any exposed flesh and answered the door.

Bigby was shifting nervously on his feet as he waited with bated breath for the door to open; when he saw Snow his heart sank: she had slight bruises under her eyes and they were red and sore as well, so not only had she been losing sleep but she had been crying (a lot it seemed) as well, the necklace around her neck was spotless but the feint rash where the chain was proved that she never took it off.

Bigby stood in front of Snow and her mouth hung open in disbelief at the sight of him; Bigby looked at her with a mix of overwhelming love and utter sadness.

"Snow I-" Bigby was interrupted as Snow hit him in the face; she looked angry and was sobbing heavily now.

She sputtered her words as she spoke through her tears "You left me" Bigby closed his eyes and nodded his head in defeat before looking back up and putting his hand to Snow's cheek. She froze up at first but leaned into his hand with her eyes closed.

He whispered softly "I know... but I came back" He smiled sweetly at her and Snow began to cry even more. He was back.

Snow threw herself at Bigby and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as she sobbed loudly into his shoulder; he wrapped his arms tightly around her in response and whispered words of comfort into her ear.

She pulled back and kissed him hard but with passion; the familiar feel of his lips against her own brought complete happiness to Snow and Bigby deepened the kiss not long after it had begun.

The two stumbled back into the apartment and Bigby shut the door with his foot; he forced Snow against the wall and the kiss became even fiercer as their hands roamed each other's bodies without hesitation.

Snow ripped off Bigby's shirt and he undid the tie around Snow's waist; he shivered and groaned as her fingers roamed his torso and he teased the skin of her shoulders as he slowly slipped the robe off of her, making her moan quietly; it fell to the floor and Snow pressed herself closer to Bigby to feel his tight muscles against her bare curves once again.

He hoisted her up around his waist and carried her into the bathroom, they stumbled into the shower and Snow turned it on. Bigby kicked off the rest of his clothing and returned his mouth to Snow's own with haste; she was still sobbing though her tears had turned to ones of mirth instead of sadness.

Bigby pulled away and rested his forehead against Snow's, speaking softly "I'm never leaving you again, Snow" Snow's lips parted to say something but she decided against it and tilted her head back as Bigby started to kiss all over her neck with the grace of a God, lingering his lips around the pendant, as she gasped and moaned at the long lost feeling of pleasure and love.

He lifted her up once again and the two became lost in their primal instincts with nothing but the fast flow of the warm water from the shower to help wash away their pains and sorrows.

* * *

><p>O The next morning<p>

Bigby woke up slowly at what he could assume was 6am; he couldn't tell though as the annoying alarm clock was gone from Snow's bedside table. He quickly noticed that Snow was on top of him, hugging his torso as her head rested on top of his chiselled chest, feeling the steady pace of his heartbeat. She was being covered by the bed sheets from the waist down.

He couldn't remember exactly what happened after they had finished up in the shower, but it couldn't have been much as he and Snow were both still naked but the bed wasn't damp at all.

She still looked sad; maybe that was why she was clinging to him the way she was, for fear that last night had been some cruel trick of magic or her own imagination and he would disappear when she woke up, he thought it was cute at least.

Bigby moved his hands from his sides and hugged Snow tighter to him, she stirred at his contact and shifted herself further up so the top of her head was touching his chin. Bigby kissed her head softly and Snow awoke and looked up at him with a blank expression; he leaned down and kissed her nose and she cuddled him a little tighter, her legs wrapping loosely around one of his own like he was some kind of giant pillow.

"I'm still here" He whispered to her and she nodded in response; they stayed like that for a long time until Snow looked back up at Bigby and kissed his chin, Bigby looked down at her and kissed her soft lips with longing, she seemed hesitant to pull away so he stayed like that for a little longer until she was satisfied. Eventually she pulled away and he stroked her hair and one of her shoulders as she sniffled quietly against his chest.

"I thought I'd lost you forever" Her voice quivered a little as she spoke.

Bigby grunted his concurrence "Nothing is going to keep me away from you forever, Snow. I'm back and I'm here to stay by your side until the end of time".

She buried her face into the crook of his neck and he held her there until she pulled away of her own free will.

After a long time of pleasant cuddling; Bigby shifted himself up so he was resting against the headboard, Snow rested against him, using his left shoulder like a pillow. Bigby rested his hands on her stomach and Snow played with his fingers absent-mindedly.

"Where have you been, Bigby?"

Bigby buried his nose against Snow's hair and breathed her in as he spoke "Nick didn't kill me; he stole my soul or something like that. He tortured me hoping that I would break and succumb to him; but, I held out for the hope that I would see you again..."

Snow smiled and leaned her head back into Bigby's shoulder to look into his eyes "You held out for 8 months all so you could see me again?"

Bigby looked more serious now "You are what holds me together Snow; without you what have I got left to lose... to live for?"

Snow replied with something that she could only ever tell him "I feel the same way Bigby; when you were gone nothing made sense anymore, I mourned you every day and I... I-I betrayed you."

Bigby touched his head to Snow's "I know what you did and Charming's an asshole. Nick showed me what happened between you two and I know that he took advantage, he showed me my own funeral as well..."

Snow looked a little surprised at hearing those words but she was so overwhelmed with happiness that Bigby was alive and still loved her that she realised she didn't care.

Bigby leaned in and kissed Snow, laying her down as he pinned her with his weight. She giggled as he nibbled on her lower lip and the feel of him bare against her was arousing...

He pulled away and rested his forehead on hers; they were just smiling at each other now as Snow wrapped her arms loosely around his neck.

"Beast told me that Nick escaped... how did that happen?"

Snow looked remorseful and turned her head away, but Bigby moved it back gently and kissed her once.

She sighed and spoke "Ok, it's a long story, but, prepare to be amazed"

* * *

><p><strong>Next time: We flashback and see the entirety of Nick's overly violent escape from the Woodland's and the Mundane world.<strong>

**Again it didn't feel right to put in an overly graphic shower scene between Bigby and Snow because it was meant to be a tender moment.**

**Also the cover photo for this Act and the previous one is an artwork of the Nuckelavee, the picture is what Nick is meant to look like in his true form (of course I desribed him a little differently to make him seem creepier)**


	3. The Great Escape

**The Great Escape – The Monster Is Lose**

**Ah, a chapter devoted to Nick's savagry, starts slow but, has a decent ending...**

* * *

><p>O The Woodland's cells, 3 weeks after Bigby's 'death'<p>

"Wake up asshole; Totenkinder wants to talk to you!" Grimble yelled into the cell as Nick eyed him up intently.

He was lying shirtless on the bed with Mary, now wearing said t-shirt, cuddling his torso; he moved her gently off of him and materialised his trench coat from out of nowhere and put it on, but didn't zip it up.

"The Black Forest Witch wants to talk to me eh? Well I want to talk to her as well troll, so if you don't mind let's get on with it" Grimble threatened to remove his glamour but knew all too well that he wouldn't stand a chance against Nick after that night.

Nick strolled in front of Grimble up the stairs towards the elevator and caught the hateful glares of various Fables as he walked through the lobby; he entered the elevator and pressed the 13th button, Grimble didn't go in with him.

Nick lowly sang 'The Four Horsemen' by Metallica to himself as the elevator took an exceptionally long time to reach the 13th Floor. When the doors opened, Morgan Le Fay met him with a cautionary look.

"Well, Miss Le Fay; have you come to offer me a second chance at Camelot?" He was trying to piss her off but Morgan ignored him and led the way to Totenkinder's room, in truth his words had confused her a little.

Totenkinder was waiting inside with a fresh pot of tea and two full cups. Nick raised an eyebrow at the dishes in front of him as Morgan closed the door.

"Well, someone was expecting me..."

Totenkinder stopped her knitting and stared the Devil in the eyes; she amused him the same way that Bigby did, like him she feared nothing.

"You are supposed to be dead and confined to the sea, Harbinger" Nick chuckled and took a seat across from the elderly-looking witch.

"If you're gonna call me that then I think I should be able to call you Bellflower" Totenkinder looked mildly surprised at how Nick knew of her true self, but he was a very old and powerful creature so maybe she shouldn't be surprised at all.

Nick picked up one of the cups of tea "I get it though; you want an explanation and I do intend to give one to you, so listen well"

Nick took a sip of the tea and leaned back into the vintage chair, sucking in a breath before he spoke "When my Masters figured out how to separate me from my original body, I wandered the Earth several times trying to locate it, but by then it had returned to the soil from whence it came."

"I became one with the sea as it was the only great source of choice I could find when it came to tracking down a suitable host to take over instead. Many years of searching later I came across the near-dead body of a particularly vicious pirate whose heart was filled with nothing but malice and evil. You are staring at that pirate right now, but of course he didn't look exactly like this before I possessed him; he was older and weaker amongst other things, but now he looks much more manly and attractive wouldn't you say?"

Totenkinder didn't respond.

"However, in joining with the sea I acquired an unfortunate weakness to freshwater, it burns like hellfire and I cannot breathe in it either. It doesn't matter to me though; I keep myself pretty clean by swimming in the ocean at my docks. This appearance is what that pirate looked like in his younger years, Nick was his name by the way, but I added quite a lot of my own touches to him, he was a Fable to be sure but I am more than just a mere Fable..."

Totenkinder sipped her tea and cut him off "What are you doing here, Harbinger? Why did you come to us after all this time?"

Nick smiled "When I discovered that I had inherited Death's power of taking a soul's abilities and adding them to my own; I decided to actively seek out the most powerful beings I could find until I became more powerful than my Masters ever were. Your Wolf is possibly the most powerful Fable in Fabletown, maybe even more so than you despite your vast quantities of power"

Nick's eyes flashed yellow as he continued "With all your magical abilities, you Witches are limited by your spells; that Wolf is limited by nothing! You yourself are close to becoming a Great Power of Witches; but Bigby is the God of Wolves, the 7th Son of the North Wind and well on his way to becoming one of the Great Destroyers!"

Totenkinder took in everything Nick was saying and couldn't deny the truths that she was hearing.

"I did all of you a fucking favour by getting rid of him..." Nick stood up and towered over Totenkinder, his eyes still glowing and walked around to her.

He went to touch her face but was immediately pinned in the air; Totenkinder smiled "You are powerful, but at the moment I am stronger; now let's get you down to your trial, Nick, I believe that I have heard enough... although; how do you control black magic the way you do?"

Nick grinned evilly "I AM black magic as an incarnation; I control it because I am made from it, with my Masters dead I am now the first-born user of it and the only one to not go insane and kill anything and everything I see"

Totenkinder smirked as she led Nick towards the elevator, he caught the glances of the other Witches but just stared back at them with yellow eyes and pure hatred "So what else can you do, Nick?"

"I can conjure hellfire, I can shift between this world and the Homelands as I please... oh, and I can kill with one hand whenever I want to-"

She cut him off as the doors closed "That's nice dear, now please be quiet until we get to the Witching Well chamber"

* * *

><p>O One failed trial later<p>

"They will never fucking learn will they..." Nick walked back into his cell and flopped back onto the bed.

"So, how'd it go this time?" Mary cuddled up to him once more and he grinned down at her "The usual, they thought they could contain me once again... The Witches leader Frau is an interesting one though."

Mary giggled and rested against him, Nick rubbed her arm and kissed her head "I'm gonna pay the Wolf a little visit now..."

"Do have fun; sometimes I wish I could be the one torturing him..."

Nick snorted "Well, when the time comes I'll let you torture Snow White to your heart's content"

Mary didn't respond with anything so Nick shut his eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>O After the events in Nowhere<p>

Nick practically fell out of the bed when his eyes opened; he was gasping for breath and sweating buckets.

Mary looked at him in shock "Nick, what happened!?"

Nick struggled to his feet and leant against the wall "It seems the fucking Wolf figured out how to escape... FUCK!"

Nick punched a large hole in the wall and examined his bloodied knuckles afterwards.

"We need to go now, sweetheart; we need to get back to the Homelands..."

Mary cocked an eyebrow "Why?"

"This is why" Nick brandished 3 vials of bright pink liquid from the air and cradled them in one hand "These are the 3 forms that Bigby can change into, in other words they are parts of his soul that I managed to steal whilst he was escaping from me..."

Mary took one vial and examined it "So what do we do with them?"

Nick pulled his ear to ear grin "We use them to lure him back into the Homelands and then we deal with him properly"

Nick removed his coat so he was wearing just his jeans and turned his head back to Mary "I'll meet you at the docks"

Mary looked confused "What do you mean?"

"This" Nick snapped his fingers and Mary vanished in a cloud of blue/black smoke and reappeared in Nick's room at his bar.

"Oh, that's what he means..."

She looked around briefly before walking to his wardrobe and pulling out a spare set of clothes from the last time she crashed there. A white t-shirt, black leather jacket, slacks and boots; it was the usual with Mary. She even took some time to use Nick's (never ever used) shower and cut her hair back to its original length.

Nick cracked out his neck and shoulders before kicking the door to his cell off its hinges; he walked out before putting his fingers in his mouth and whistling so loudly that the entire building heard it.

He then cupped his mouth and shouted at the same volume "OI! I'M GONNA BE LEAVING NOW!

Nick had three things planned for his escape: only use the human form, fight as many Fables as possible and end with something dramatic.

Nick walked cautiously up the stairs and into the lobby; he didn't see Grimble at his desk. Nick turned around a little too late as Grimble punched him into the golden armour by his desk. Nick stood back up slowly and took up his fighting stance with a smile on his face.

Grimble charged towards him and Nick slid underneath the troll before kicking out his leg and bringing his elbow down onto his head with force. Grimble hit the floor dazed and Nick reached his hand into the troll's mouth and yanked him backwards so he fell onto his back from lying on his front.

Nick brought his foot up and stamped down onto Grimble's chest, digging his heel in to make the giant troll squirm and groan in pain. Nick was too caught up in watching Grimble's pained expression that he didn't notice Gren coming up to his side and picking him up before throwing him through the front door of the Woodland's with a satisfying crash.

Nick stood up, covered in deep cuts and broken glass, he wiped some blood out of his face and charged at Grendel; he tackled the beast and threw him against the floor before jumping on top of him and pummelling into his face. Nick's arm was caught as he drew it back for another punch and someone brought him into a strong chokehold; Woody was holding him with all his strength and Nick struggled for release.

Gren dragged himself up and punched Nick in the gut hard enough for him to let out a cry of pain; the impact did send the two men backwards a little however and Nick had enough room to drive his elbow back into Woody's chest hard enough to make him let go. Nick roundhouse kicked Woody across the face and knocked him out along with a few of his teeth.

Gren grabbed Nick and repeatedly slammed him into the floor and clenched him as tightly as he could. Nick struggled to get free before he took hold of Gren's thumb and pushed it all the way back, breaking it and making Gren cry in pain and let go.

Nick stood up and side kicked Gren in the face to knock him down before kneeling down and punching him hard in the throat.

Nick could've left there and then but the Business Office held the promise of more conflict, so he ran up the stairs to it as Holly ran to the aid of the 3 injured Fables in the lobby; she was smart enough to know that going up against Nick, even in his human form, was suicide.

Nick kicked open the door to the Business Office and it landed just in front of Snow's desk; like the lobby there appeared to be no one in there.

He walked towards the Magic Mirror and surprised it "Mirror Mirror, I need a fight, so show me the location of the fair Snow White"

"No" Nick threatened to kick the Mirror before he felt something sharp enter his back and exit through his chest where his heart was.

He turned around after the sharp object was pulled out to see that Snow had thrusted a sword into him. He grunted in amusement and brandished his sword of bone.

He began the fight with a series of wide slashes and long stabs but Snow was a lot quicker than he had expected and she managed to find many flaws in his technique, taking every opportunity to cut and stab him with expert precision, not that it seemed to do anything to him.

Nick changed tactics and turned his sword into one styled for duelling and took up a fencing stance much like Snow's own and gestured for her to attack. This time the fight was more to Nick's favour as he assaulted Snow with precise attacks and careful defence so that he was always on the offensive; Snow was quickly getting tired and eventually Nick disarmed her before kicking her hard in the stomach, she flew back across the room and landed against her desk with a loud crack as the wood splintered at her impact.

She tried to drag herself up before Nick picked up her discarded sword and stabbed it through her hand into the desk and pulled her head back by her bun "You needed your Wolf for this conflict" He smashed her head into the corner of the table and viciously knocked her out.

Charming and Bluebeard entered, both with duelling swords though Charming also possessed a dagger, and Nick smiled at them before materialising a second duelling sword in his other hand and gestured them to come at him.

Charming and Bluebeard both went in on either side but Nick was far too quick and skilled for them to land a hit on him.

"Thousands of years to perfect my craft and so many souls of skilled swordsman mean that you two have no chance against me!"

Nick stabbed Bluebeard in the gut with his left sword; he then released his grip on the weapon and grabbed Bluebeard by the neck before throwing him through the destroyed doorway straight into the wall behind it.

Nick quickly disarmed Charming of his dagger and stabbed it through Charming's shoulder, Nick rammed his sword through Charming's other shoulder and stabbed Charming's sword through his leg before putting his hands on his face and burning him deeply with hellfire. Charming collapsed screaming in pain and Nick kneeled over him and whispered "Not so pretty anymore are you?"

Nick casually left the Business Office, kicking Bluebeard in the face as he left and headed upstairs to Cole's penthouse for his 'dramatic escape'.

He walked out onto the pool deck and heard a whooshing sound behind him; but he didn't get to turn around as his head had landed on the ground.

Boy Blue had teleported to the apartment using the Witching Cloak and had taken Nick's head off with the Vorpal Sword as he landed. Nick's headless body grabbed a horrified Blue by his collar, Blue stabbed the sword into Nick's torso but again nothing happened. Nick responded by throwing Blue clear of the rooftop and he managed to teleport to safety at the last minute.

Nick pulled out the sword and rammed it into the concrete floor as he walked over to his head and replaced it to his neck. He cracked out his neck loudly afterwards and breathed in the crisp air before running to the edge of the deck and jumping off of it.

He somersaulted in the air and landed in front of the Woodland's in a crouching position, leaving a small impact crater in his wake as he sprinted away from the scene all the way back to the docks.

His injuries were still healing when he got there but Mary had already rounded up all of his Goblins. Nick materialised his shirt and coat and instantly boarded The Adversary.

"We're leaving for the Homelands boys! You know what to do..." They certainly did; they torched the whole pier and removed any trace of magic from the scene before they all got onto the ship and sailed through Nick's portal back into the Homelands...

* * *

><p>O Back at the Woodland's<p>

The Business Office wasn't full of pretty sights in the aftermath of Nick's escape: Snow's hand and forehead were bandaged up and 2 of her ribs were broken, Bluebeard had a bandaged stomach and received Barmecidal Ambrosia for his skeletal pains and a now human Gren was struggling to breath properly and required an inhaler, his thumb was in a splint and his face was covered in bruises.

Woody's breathing was wheezy and he was conversing with Swineheart about his missing teeth, Grimble was in such a state that he had been taken back to the Hospital and Boy Blue was still in shock that the Vorpal Sword didn't kill Nick.

"Well Woodsman, small things like teeth will grow back in time, I'd estimate about a month for all of them to grow back fully" Swineheart finished with Woody before moving to Charming.

Charming had bandages all over his head thanks to the severe burns Nick had given him, he spoke with a gruff tone when Swineheart walked up to him "So, am I doomed to be scarred forevermore?"

Swineheart chuckled "I shouldn't think so, those burns are healing already but you should know that the scars will take much longer to heal, such is the nature of hellfire as the Witches inform me..."

Charming limped his way over to Snow; she was sitting quietly on her desk and didn't look happy.

"So Deputy Mayor, what do we do now?"

Snow looked up at Charming and remained indifferent "Don't talk to me Charming, I appreciate that you're trying to help but I will never forgive you for what you did, just leave me alone, please"

She turned her head away and Charming walked off to elsewhere in the room; Snow lightly rubbed the necklace and held back her grief at remembering Nick's words _"Oh Bigby; how am I going to live without you?"_

* * *

><p><strong>Next time: Bigby returns after 8 months in a grave and becomes the Sheriff once more.<strong>

**Nick's comment to Morgan is meant to be a sly reference to what is happening in the comics atm; he knows things about the future and this will be explained later on in this Act.**


	4. Old Faces

**Old Faces – Normality**

**Man I hate writing these beginning chapters! I have sooooo much action planned for the Homelands, but I will not falter in my story (The good stuff will come very soon I PROMISE)**

* * *

><p>Bigby hadn't shifted from being on top of Snow throughout the entire story, but they both loved the contact they had because of it.<p>

Snow had revealed everything about Nick's violent escape, but only mentioned that the pier had been burned to the ground and that Nick, Mary and the Goblins were apparently gone from the Mundane world in the aftermath.

Bigby's face became more intense when Snow had mentioned the brutality that Nick had subjected her to during their fight; he swapped with Snow and lay on his back with her on top, running his hands slowly down the full length of her sides and stopping at her hips as her hands rested on his chest, he spoke with confidence "I'm gonna kill him, Snow; if not for me then for you"

Snow pulled a half smile with a raised eyebrow as she moved Bigby's hair away from his forehead "You're sweet in your own way, you know that?"

Bigby didn't change his expression and Snow should've realised to begin with that he was being deathly serious "Ok; but he still needs a trial..."

Bigby moved Snow off of him and sat up on the edge of the bed "Why? I have all the evidence and witness accounts I need to give him an on-the-spot execution..."

Snow wrapped her arms around his chest and rested her chin on his shoulder, speaking into his ear "Everyone will want to see his demise"

Bigby grunted his concurrence as he placed his hands over Snow's "Alright, I will try and bring him in..."

Snow smiled and kissed his cheek sweetly "Thank you, dear"

He looked back at her in amusement "We're not married yet... honey"

* * *

><p>The morning routine was no different than it was 8 months ago with the reunited couple; a shower wasn't necessary thanks to last night but Snow did make one hell of a breakfast for them both; bacon, sausages, eggs, mushrooms, toast; it was more than enough for two but Bigby would eat whatever was left without issue.<p>

They left the apartment together and walked hand-in-hand into the elevator; Snow was wearing her usual work clothes but Bigby had to wear his attire from last night, including the plaid shirt missing several buttons thanks to Snow's impatience.

Bigby told Snow how he had spent 2 days in the Hospital with only a select few knowing of his return from the grave and then planned on spending the night at Cinderella's, she wasn't too happy about any of it, but knowing that he wanted to tell her in person lifted her anger quickly.

Throughout the elevator ride; Bigby leaned against the wall as Snow rested against him, his arms wrapped loosely around her waist as her hands rested on his. He breathed in her scent and went to kiss the back of her head, but the bun of her hair proved to be an obstacle so he let it down and smoothed it behind her shoulders.

"What are you doing?" Snow turned her head just enough to see Bigby in the corner of her eye.

"I'm trying to do this" Bigby finally kissed the back of her head and spoke again "You know you should keep your hair down, it looks nicer"

Snow turned around to see Bigby smiling back at her; she sighed and smiled back in his arms "Ok, I'll do it just for you"

They reached the floor of the Business Office and parted ways in an instant; Snow walked calmly into the Office while Bigby walked to his apartment for some work clothes. He went inside to find it in pristine condition as though someone had cleaned it thoroughly; also Colin was nowhere to be found.

"_Snow must've sent him back to the Farm"_ Bigby was a little saddened by Colin's absence, he secretly liked having company in his apartment; though now that he was with Snow he would at some point ask her about moving in with her, all in good time though.

Bigby threw on his usual work attire and left the apartment straight for his home away from home, the Security Office.

He opened the door expecting to see the bald-headed prick lazing away smugly in his chair. Bluebeard wasn't present however, so Bigby took the opportunity to scan through the mountains of paperwork that littered the desk and the surrounding floor.

It would take him ages to get all of it done, but it was a quick reminder of what he had to do as Sheriff of the community, he had to crack a smile though, he was back.

Bigby left his Office a few minutes after entering it and rounded the corner to the Business Office; the line of Fables was much longer than usual and they all looked distant, as though they were waiting for a certain someone to appear in front of them once more. Grendel was at the front of the line for once and was complaining about how he still wasn't inside the Office.

Bigby scratched the back of his head and spoke with hesitation "Um, hey everyone..."

The line all looked back and shared a mix of 2 emotions at seeing Bigby: shock and horror. Bigby awkwardly walked past them all and went straight into the Business Office; Gren patted his back with a small smile as he walked in however.

As soon as he entered, Bigby saw Bluebeard arguing with Snow about something and marched up behind him.

"Miss White; I fund this community and I am also the physical embodiment of its Sheriff, if I fall behind on my work then it is for justified reasons"

Snow saw Bigby walk in but continued her charade of being angry so Bluebeard wouldn't turn around just yet.

Bigby stopped a couple of feet behind Bluebeard and cleared his throat loudly; Bluebeard turned around and nearly fell over at the sight of him.

"You, you..." Bigby nodded slightly in response before drawing his hand back and punching Bluebeard across the face as hard as he could; Bluebeard fell to the ground unconscious but Bigby fell forward onto Snow's desk due to not being fully recovered yet.

Bigby stood up again catching his breath a little "You, son of a bitch, make me, do that to you"

Snow raised her eyebrows with a feint grin "Does this mean you'll be returning to work today?"

Bigby nodded "Yes, and he can go back home where he belongs... Why the hell was HE Sheriff anyways?"

Snow looked down in shame "He kept going on about it to me... I didn't want to work with anyone except you, I almost chose Beast, but he bullied me into selecting him so that he would continue funding the community"

Bigby moved around and hugged her tightly in the chair, whispering softly in her ear "Well I'm starting today; so any troubles in here you come and see me alright?"

Snow giggled quietly as she hugged him back and replied in the same tone "I'll come and see you without a reason"

Bigby pulled away and let Grendel in as he walked back out into the hallway; he stared back at the still-in-shock Fables "So, which of you has problems that I can solve instead of the Deputy Mayor?"

The entire line flocked to Bigby and harassed him with happy comments at his return, though a few complaints were thrown in here and there.

* * *

><p>O One very long day later<p>

The Business Office closed to the public at 9pm, but the Security Office was always open so long as the Sheriff was inside it. Poor Bigby had spent the whole day signing off papers and dealing with complaints as though he hadn't been dead for 8 months... and now it was 1am!

Bigby sparked up a cigarette from his 2nd pack that day and signed off the last file, he was overjoyed that he had gotten all the work done in one day but it was exhausting and he still wasn't feeling normal yet.

He occasionally got muscle cramps all over and his arms and legs got tired from simple things like walking and writing. The scarier part was how he couldn't change form, he had tried to morph into his 2nd and 3rd forms throughout the day but it just resulted in him tensing and straining for no reason other than looking like a complete fool while doing so.

"_Reduced to just a man it seems" _Bigby would get his revenge on Nick and reclaim his former powers in doing so, he hoped.

He finished off the cigarette and was about to walk out of his office before a very awake Snow let herself in with a smile "Are you done yet?"

"Yes, I-" He was cut off as Snow crashed her mouth against his and forced him backwards to his desk; he sat on its edge and pulled her closer.

She pulled away slowly with a suck on his lower lip and moved around to the other side of the desk with a playful smile on her face, then she put her hands on one side of the desk and swept them across it quickly, knocking the finished papers to the floor.

Bigby looked more surprised than enticed "What the hell Snow, I spent all day on those!"

Snow gave him a puppy face and innocently took off her jacket, revealing the top buttons of her shirt were undone to expose the ocean blue lace of her bra.

Bigby locked the door before moving around to her and pulled her face to his as Snow quickly unbuttoned his shirt, Bigby undid hers more slowly however. They pulled away and Bigby pulled off his pants, Snow inched up her skirt and pulled off her underwear.

They kissed more fiercely as Bigby lay on his now cleared desk and Snow wasted no time in getting what she wanted from him; the arousal was pretty obvious from the get go and Bigby had planned on doing 'this' with Snow since their first night together.

As Snow slid onto him, Bigby unclasped her bra and dropped it to the floor. She rode him quickly and he held her hips as she did so, watching her breasts bounce as she moved up and down at steady rhythm.

She gasped to the ceiling as she slid down onto him all the way every time and Bigby's breathing became heavier as they reached their peaks unanimously.

When they were finished, they redressed and left the Office still catching their breath and holding hands, though it was obvious that they had done something: Snow's hair was in a little messy, her jacket was open and she was flustered; Bigby was also a little red in the face and his tie was slung around his neck, not to mention the top buttons of his shirt were still undone.

"Well that was... fun" Bigby and Snow both chuckled breathlessly as they walked to the elevator and headed back up to her apartment.

In the elevator Snow asked the important question "So... how did everyone take having you back from the dead?"

Bigby smiled "They all asked me how I was and said that it was great that I wasn't dead, pretty much everyone felt it necessary to either shake my hand or hug me..."

"Awww, the Big Bad Wolf's finally getting some attention" He looked at her lovingly.

"I thought I already was getting some attention" He stroked her cheek and she smiled sweetly at him.

"Do you know what tomorrow is?"

Bigby raised an eyebrow "No..."

Snow moved closer to him "It's Friday... and it's also Remembrance Day"

Bigby started to play it cool "Well then, Miss White; would you do me the honour of accompanying me to the Gala as my date?"

Snow seemed to ponder the question with much exaggeration "Hmmm... Ok Mr Wolf, I'll go with you, but I expect you to be on time and not dead"

He heaved a fake sigh of relief "I'll try"

They leaned in for a deep kiss and the elevator stopped on Snow's floor, Boy Blue walked in just as they pulled away.

He staggered at seeing Bigby "Bigby, you're alive!" He ran up and bear hugged him, causing all 3 of them to chuckle joyfully at the moment.

* * *

><p>O Elsewhere in Manhattan, at around midnight<p>

An all-black Harley-Davidson 1942 WLA Motorcycle pulls up outside of what used to be Nick's dock; a large man in a long black leather trench coat with a black velvet hood sparks up a Cuban cigar and steps off the bike; his hair is just past his shoulders and his once trimmed moustache and beard have become scruffy much like Bigby's, but it makes him look even more rugged than usual.

The hood creates a full shadow over his face in the darkness and moonlight, with only the glow of the cigar to illuminate his face whenever he puffs on it.

The woman who was sat on the back of the bike is wearing her usual attire and Aviator shades, she has red bangs in her hair and while her face is delicate to look at, few know just how evil and deadly she really is.

Nick and Bloody Mary arrive at the ruined dock to inspect it after being away from the Mundane world for nearly 8 months, though in the Homelands it was more or less 4 months at sea for them. Nick has a plan to hatch and he needs to discover where his 3 lieutenants have gotten to since his departure.

"My boy's Artax, Damien and Rook, owe me favours. We'll be going to see Artax first and I know exactly where he'll be right now...

Mary sits back on the bike as Nick finishes off his cigar and turns to her.

"Will they be happy to see you?"

Nick half smiles at her comment "Yep"

Mary smirks as she replies with another question "Will they join us on this little adventure willingly?"

Nick smiles properly now "Maybe, if they say no then I'll just beat them until they respond otherwise..."

* * *

><p><strong>Next time: We once again focus on Nick as he recruits his lieutenants for his plan with Bigby, expect 3 new OC's in the next chapter...<strong>

**With regrds to the bit in Bigby's Office; I think I'm all out of ideas for smut, hence why that scene was so damn short... Oh well I'm sure it'll come back to me later on.**


	5. Nick And His Boys

**Nick and his Boys – 3 Lieutenants**

**This chapter isn't too long, but 2 of the 3 new OC's will become part of the story in a bigger way than the other 1...**

* * *

><p>Nick and Mary drove down to an old warehouse on the other side of the docks; the warehouse in question was abandoned and used to host underground fights where the victor earns cash prizes in fights where anything goes except outright death.<p>

Artax was a troll from the Homelands who had challenged a human looking Nick to a fight over spilled ale; Nick beat him of course, but saw determination and strength in the troll and empowered him so he could become a fierce fighter. Compared to other trolls; Artax is a true force to be reckoned with and was given the ability to achieve a human form at will by Nick.

They reached the venue and both get passing glances from men and women alike as they walk towards the action. When they reach the 'entry point' an obese man with facial tattoos stops Nick and eyes him up for size.

"What do you want?" Nick pushes the man aside and continues walking; he grabs Nick's shoulder and turns him around.

"Hey, you gotta pay to get in pal" Nick continues to stare at the man who shifts uncomfortably under his intimidating gaze, Mary pulls Nick away gently and the obese man catches his breath a little after he leaves.

"You really wanna fight these people? They're all Mundies..."

Nick snorts "There are a lot of them, it wouldn't be so easy"

They walk hand in hand towards the ring where Artax has just won a fight. As a human, Artax is very muscular but not that much taller than Bigby, he has a bald head and light grey stubble and looks older, like he is in his mid to late 40's, he speaks with a gruff Southern accent.

Nick talks to the host of the event and steps into the ring, removing his shirt and coat and handing them to Mary, who was busy chatting up a Mundy punk girl.

Artax turns around and smiles at seeing Nick, the two gladly shake hands.

"Nick, I thought you were done with this place?"

Nick grins "You owe me, mate. You gonna come with me quietly or do you wanna scuffle first?" He already knows that answer...

The two men take up fighting stances and the bell is rung. Artax tackles Nick in an instant and proceeds to pummel into his face and torso whenever he finds an opening in his defence. Nick wraps his legs around Artax and catches his arms, head butting him and throwing him off to the side. Nick gets up and kicks Artax down before pulling him into a violent chokehold. Artax struggles and repeatedly elbows Nick in his abdomen, but he won't let go. He throws himself backwards and lands on top of Nick, rolling off him.

Nick flips up to his feet and Artax goes in with a side kick, Nick grabs his foot and breaks his knee with his elbow. Artax staggers back in pain but doesn't give up; he goes in with a hook that Nick shrugs off before kicking the troll onto his back and stomping on his broken knee. Artax taps out and Nick helps him to his feet in spite of his injury and the booing that the crowd is giving him.

After leaving the venue, Nick heals up Artax's knee with gauze and bandages, but not before he moves it back into place. "Ow! You're a fucking asshole you know that?"

Nick doesn't lose focus on bandaging the knee "Quit complaining, you could've said no..."

"Oh yeah, and lose my reputation as the only fighter to never turn down a challenge in that shit hole!" Nick pats his knee when he finishes bandaging it and walks over to Mary and his bike.

"Meet me at the Sunset Tenement building tomorrow evening. I'm going to find Damien and Rook"

* * *

><p>O Manhattan, somewhere near Bullfinch Street<p>

A man in his 30's with brown buzz cut hair and looking very secluded yet still intimidating walks down the street against the traffic of people, his all black hoodie is up and he has a knife concealed in his khaki coloured cargo pants; Rook keeps to himself and isn't a big talker, but that's largely because Nick trained him to be stealthy. He is quick, quiet and lethal in a fight overall. His accuracy with a rifle is unmatched and he is constantly scanning the environment for anything that could hinder or benefit him at some point.

Rook hears a stray noise from a darkened alley and cautiously walks into it with his lock knife concealed in his hand. Nick steps out behind him and Rook instantly goes on the offensive, turning around with a series of precise slashes. Nick dodges and parries all of them and kicks Rook clear across the alley into the wall at the end of it. He closes the distance as Rook draws a snub-nosed revolver and snatches it from him.

"You're shit..." Rook gets up and Nick gives him back the revolver. "I made you what you are when I picked you up during the Civil War and you can't even score a single hit on me?"

"Unlike you, I don't go looking for fights all the time, Devil" Rook spoke with a deep and commanding voice; Nick had found him sniping Confederate soldiers from over 100 metres away during the Civil War and offered him the promise of a real challenge if he came with him, he accepted of course.

Nick and Rook hug, and pat each other's backs as they do, they pull away and Nick tells Rook to meet him at the building tomorrow evening.

"I'll assume that you're looking for Damien?"

Nick turned around on his heels "Yeah..."

Rook shrugged "He's probably at the Lone Star with his friends..."

* * *

><p>O Manhattan, somewhere near the Lone Star nightclub<p>

Damien was the most interesting of the 3; he was a fire sorcerer from the Homelands but when Nick found him he couldn't even conjure a few sparks, so Nick taught him how to conjure hellfire instead and because of this, Damien was banished from his school.

Damien looked like he was in his late 20's and his appearance screamed 'weed smoking slacker'; he had dirty blonde hair that was shoulder length with unkempt facial hair and always wore an old pair of jeans with a dark green Army jacket. He had a laid-back personality and liked to think that he was the coolest funny guy on the planet, he really wasn't; not to mention that he always stunk of weed and had a slim physique with slight muscle definition.

Damien walks through the streets towards the Lone Star with 2 of his Mundy friends; telling them of his plan for the night, Damien had an interest in British culture and his accent did have a hint of British in it if you listened hard enough, it was added in by him to make him seem more interesting to people however.

"Alright, we walk down to the Lone Star; we smoke a fatty-boom-batty along the way so that we can get absolutely munted by the time we order our first drinks, if all goes to plan then we'll start laughing like a bunch of twats. We'll pick up a couple of desperate college chicks with a combination of coolness, alcohol and weed, relocate back to our apartment and fuck them like rabbits until the sun comes up. Hopefully at some point in the night we'll reach the desired point of drinking wherein we'll a) fall over, b) puke or c) fall over and puke! Sound like a good plan guys?"

The other two nod in agreement. The night goes pretty much according to plan: they reach the club high as kites and laughing about nothing, get themselves a couple of drunk college girls, relocate back to the apartment, they fall over at times but no one pukes; the unplanned part of the night is when a big guy in a hooded coat follows them with a scary looking woman by his side.

Nick knocks on the apartment door and Damien answers it half naked in his jeans.

"Damien, you owe me a favour" Nick grins at the obviously high man in front of him, who still appears confused and mortified all at once.

Damien points between Mary and Nick while stuttering gibberish before giving a brief sigh "Alright, first I need to do something"

Damien swings at Mary's head and knocks her to the floor in a daze, Nick simply looks at her and then back at Damien.

"You missed me" Nick smirks and Damien stares at him "Your 'girl' stole all my shit the last time she crashed here! The selfish bitch gives me the best wild sex of my life and then leaves me tied up to my bed while she waltzes off with my drugs, my money and my fucking clothes!"

Mary gets up slowly and Damien hits her to the floor again "Why the fuck do you keep her around!?"

Nick shrugs before picking Mary up and holding her by her shoulders "Mary; what do you say?"

Mary looks completely surprised at how Nick took the whole ordeal, but she knows that he's trying to make Damien come around easier.

She answers with a loud sigh "Damien, I'm sorry I stole your clothes and burned them, I'm sorry I smoked your entire stash of weed in one night with Nick in your car and I'm very sorry I used your money to buy expensive sexy lingerie for Nick to destroy 5 seconds before he took me to proverbial heaven and back... in your car"

Damien looks horrified but a smiling Nick looks like he's trying not to laugh at the memory.

"You smoked my grade AND you banged her in my brown 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88 at the same time in one night!?"

Nick and Mary both nod in agreement; Damien still looks horrified but his expression quickly changes to a happy grin "That's awesome!"

Damien lets them both in and Mary instantly becomes interested in the 5 person ordeal that is going on in one of the bedrooms "So what do you want, Nick?"

They both sit on Damien's old and stained grey couch "I'm getting the boys back together for a little adventure in the Homelands; it involves the Big Bad Wolf..." Nick looked visibly distant when he mentioned Bigby properly, Damien smirked in glee.

"Alright then, I assume you had to rough up Artax and Rook so that they would remember whose Boss right?"

"No, I roughed them up becau-" Nick was interrupted when a blast of dark orange flame hit the side of his face and knocked him off the couch, it scorched his skin and his hair and ruined the top right side of his coat.

"Alright boy, you wanna play this game with me then be my fucking guest" Nick's hands emitted the same coloured flame, the same hellfire that he gave to Damien, and punched him in the face.

Damien fell over the sofa, knocking it over in the process but kicked it into Nick when he landed; Nick stumbled over when the sofa edge knocked his legs out from under him and was met with Damien's fiery hands on his face.

He yelled in pain as he grabbed Damien by the throat and threw him through the wall straight into the bedroom where the orgy was happening.

Nick walked through the wreckage and Damien had already sparked up two cigarettes with his thumb despite being awkwardly positioned and covered in dust and small chunks of stone on the ground. He offered one to Nick and he took it without question.

"Ok Damien, at least YOU still have what it takes to hurt me"

Damien hopped to his feet enthusiastically and brushed himself down "I know right!?"

Nick looked at the shocked Mundies and they all left the room pretty quickly afterwards, leaving Mary on the bed in her underwear and looking flustered.

"Alright, is anyone gonna explain why I'm no longer having an orgy?" Nick snapped his fingers in response and his clothes disappeared.

Mary grinned "I find myself no longer interested in more than one person; Damien you can go"

Damien glared at her and left when Nick patted his shoulder with sympathy.

"You two get all the fun..."

* * *

><p>O The next evening at the Sunset Tenement building<p>

Artax, Rook, Damien, Mary and Nick were all playing catch-up with each other before Nick stood up and pulled out 2 vials from his pocket.

"These two vials contain parts of the Wolf's soul; now only a pure Lycan can consume them without dying, one drop could kill me believe it or not... There were 3 of these but the other one is safe with Lumi, the Snow Queen-"

Damien perked up "Why does the ice queen of the 4 Seasons have one of the vials!"

"Because she has company in her current residence that will want that vial when the time comes..."

Rook nodded "Ok, so what are we doing with those 2?"

"I'll keep a hold of them both for now, when we get back to the Homelands I'll give one of them to one of you..."

With the plan explained, Nick surprised the group with a suggestion "So, anyone wanna get the band back together for a night of heavy rock amongst the Mundies?"

Mary cocked an eyebrow "Will it end like the last one did a few years ago?"

Nick pulled an evil smile "Oh yes"

The group collectively smiled and agreed on performing again for the worthless Mundies that surrounded Fabletown...

* * *

><p><strong>Next time: It's Remembrance Day and things don't go to plan for Bigby and Snow...<strong>

**I hope people are enjoying this Act the same way as the first one, it's still early days I know...**


	6. Remembrance Day

**Remembrance Day – Night Of Fun**

**Ok; my muse left me for several days, I have been on and off with this Chapter but now I'm sataisfied with it. Hope you ppl enjoy it!**

* * *

><p>O Outside The Lone Star, late evening<p>

The Lone Star was accustomed to holding special nights where local bands could come and play for the crowds that would show up.

In their 'band' Nick did vocals and lead guitar, Mary played bass and sometimes did lead/backing vocals, Damien played rhythm and did backing vocals, Artax played drums and Rook was the boring one who occasionally jammed on an acoustic guitar every now and then.

"So what're we playing for them tonight?" Artax asked the group as they walked past the same bouncer that Bigby had interrogated months ago; he didn't stop them as their sheer combined presence was enough to make him feel uneasy and back away a little.

"We are playing one song and then I'm gonna run like an escaped convict to Bullfinch Street..." Nick took off his coat and dropped it carelessly to the floor; if anyone had bothered to look at it they would've seen it disappear into nothing not long after it had landed.

The group all got onto the stage and waved to the crowds of people before picking up their black instruments, Nick waltzed up to the microphone and impersonated Lemmy from the band Mötorhead perfectly "Alright, we're the Harbingers and we're gonna play Deaf Forever by Mötorhead"

No one could've been prepared for what was going to happen next...

* * *

><p>O The Trip Trap, before the Gala<p>

"Read em' and weep bitches, 4 Jacks, I win" Jack made quite the display of gathering all the poker chips into a single large pile on his side of the table.

Since becoming friendlier with Bigby; Gren and Holly had taken to having poker nights with him at least once every week or so, with Jack joining in occasionally. This night had the 4 of them plus Woody playing and Jack was on a winning spree.

"Jack, you pull 4 Jacks on me ever again and I'll break your face" Bigby smiled menacingly at Jack after speaking; Bigby was usually the winner until the last draw of cards, wherein the biggest loser of the night would miraculously win.

It all stemmed from how Bigby used his perception and sense of smell to tell who had good cards and who didn't, he would change sporadically from winning to losing but never won a single game, he never felt that he deserved to win as he was always cheating without ever really wanting to.

Bigby was wearing the same suit that he was supposed to wear for his date with Snow 8 months prior; he was planning on surprising her before going to the Remembrance Day Gala, the Gala itself was at 8pm but Bigby was kinda nervous.

Woody spoke up from his drink "Hey, where're you going?" They usually played multiple games but Bigby had only stayed for one this time around, he got to the door before turning "I have a woman to impress"

* * *

><p>O The Woodland's<p>

Bigby strolled back into the Woodland's and ran into Bluebeard unexpectedly in the lobby.

He glared at Bigby with a half smile "Sheriff"

Bigby glared back "Bluebeard"

"I assume you're looking to impress Miss White with that attire... her standards seem to have slipped recently so you shouldn't have much trouble" He smirked when he finished speaking.

Bigby had half a mind to hit him again, Grimble was secretly watching with one eye open "How's your face Bluebeard, still missing some teeth? I'm in a good mood right now, so why don't you take your comments elsewhere before I do something stupid..."

Bluebeard gently rubbed his cheek as he walked away from Bigby, he hated the Wolf.

Bigby took the elevator up to the Business Office and went inside quietly; Snow was finishing off some papers as he walked in, she was so caught up in her work that she didn't hear him come up behind her and start massaging her shoulders gently.

"Mmm, where did you learn to do this?" Snow stopped writing and relaxed into Bigby's hands as her tension washed away completely.

"I'll tell you later... but I want your opinion on something first"

Snow got up and turned to face Bigby with a questioning gaze, he spoke again "How do I look?"

Snow scanned over the tailored, 3-piece charcoal suit that Bigby was wearing, it looked expensive and she had to admit that it made him look very dashing.

"You look great, Bigby. Is that for the Gala tonight?"

Bigby smiled back "Yeah; so what are you wearing to the Gala, Miss White?"

Snow gave him a playful smile "Want me to show you?"

* * *

><p>O The Lone Star gig<p>

"Win or lose, nought to choose, all men are equal when their memory fades; No one knows, friends or foes, if Valhalla lies beyond the grave" The band was playing loud and heavy just the way they always did. The crowd were rocking out hard, but didn't quite realise that the surrounding edges of the club were catching on fire.

Damien had started throwing fireballs throughout the place as the song was reaching its end, but the Mundies were too distracted by the heavy sounds of drums and guitars and Nick's hypnotic voice to notice the place slowly burning to the ground.

The song finally ended and it was then that the Mundies tried to frantically escape the burning building, there was no way out as the exits were all on fire and there were no windows to jump out of either. Nick quickly shifted the others to outside the club so they could watch it burn to nothing as the sounds of screaming people intensified and then stopped altogether.

"Never gets old does it?" Mary crossed her arms and leaned back against Nick as they watched the fires extinguish.

"Yeah; Damien change of plans, you're getting the vial now, plus all of you are going to the Business Office tomorrow morning, I'm gonna go and piss off the Wolf"

Damien took the vial and the 4 of them all left without question, Nick started sprinting towards Bullfinch Street.

* * *

><p>O The Woodland's, Snow's apartment<p>

Bigby was sat on Snow's bed watching her change into a sparkling dark blue dress, it showed off her cleavage quite well but Bigby wasn't going to say anything. Her hair was up in a more stylish bun, she had crystal earrings on and of course Bigby's necklace around her neck.

Snow gave Bigby a twirl "So, what do you think, Mr Wolf?"

He stood up and held her waist gently "You look out of my league, Miss White"

Snow giggled "I'll translate that to 'you look really beautiful' then?"

He smiled as he leaned closer to her and whispered "Yeah"

Their lips connected and Snow moaned quietly as the kiss slowly deepened, she pulled Bigby closer and smiled against his lips.

They pulled away and Bigby lead Snow out of her apartment towards the elevator, it was time to go to the Gala.

* * *

><p>The two entered the event and received a shared look of approval from the crowd; seeing the ice queen of Fabletown genuinely happy whilst clinging to the arm of the Great Wolf returned from the dead convinced everyone that things should've happened between them a long time ago...<p>

The toast to the Exodus was held and the dancing that followed was pleasant enough and everyone was enjoying themselves immensely, especially Snow and Bigby. But there was one person who was having the worst night of their life: Prince Charming.

He was by the drinks table, clearly drunk and having little success in convincing a woman to dance with him; but it wasn't because he still had some minor scarring on his face from where Nick had burned him, it was because he was angry.

He was angry at how happy his exes were; Snow had her Wolf, Cindy had her independence and Briar had her lavish lifestyle, but Charming had a life filled with scrounging off of others and spending each night with a new woman either Mundane or Fable. He wasn't happy or even getting by, he was at rock bottom.

Charming downed his single malt and attempted once again to woo a woman into dancing with him, it went more along the lines of him telling her that she was nothing without him and in response she walked away without a word.

When the dancing was dying down, Bigby bowed and kissed Snow's hand, eliciting a cheery giggle from her as he went to talk to Beauty and Beast; Snow went to talk with Briar and Cindy.

Charming marched up to the 3 women and the sheer smell of alcohol made their noses crinkle.

"Any of you 3 lovely ladies wanna dance with me?" Charming wasn't even standing up straight and now he was trying to convince his estranged ex-wives to dance with him, not a good idea.

"Charming we're not interested, why don't you go and ask someone else?" Snow and the others made no attempt at giving him any satisfaction; she had Bigby now anyways.

Charming didn't walk away though, he just glared at Snow "You think your all so special don't you; well let me tell you 3 a harsh truth. YOU WERE ALL NOTHING BEFORE I MARRIED YOU!"

The band stopped playing and everyone looked at Charming in pure shock, Bigby watched intently but he wasn't going to do anything just yet, he knew that the 3 of them could easily defend themselves from one drunken guy.

"Snow was just some peasant girl being used as a play-thing by the 7 dwarves; I'll bet she enjoyed getting fucked like a bitch by them each night even more than being fucked by that monster in the corner!" Bigby narrowed his gaze as Charming pointed at him intently and Snow looked absolutely pissed off.

"Briar was a sleeping woman who should've stayed asleep; I regret my marriage to you more than anything, you actually had to appreciate me for saving your life!"

"And Cinder-fucking-rella; I made you a princess so you could get away from your step-sisters; big mistake that was! They would've loved to have you stay with them until they died, at least with them they could've loved you for your devotion!"

Blue slowly walked up to Charming and tried to gently lead him away from the 3 furious women.

"C'mon Charming, that's enough-" Charming shoved Blue away from him and Snow responded.

"Charming, you are the most worthless waste of space I have ever met in my life! How dare you undermine us when you are the sole reason that none of us are still married to you!"

Charming turned slowly to Snow and moved towards her, speaking threateningly "You ungrateful bitch" He struck her hard with the back of his hand and Snow fell to the floor clutching her face in pain.

Briar and Cindy were in too much shock at seeing Snow sobbing on the floor to do anything against Charming; Bigby had watched the whole ordeal and as soon as Charming struck his love, he marched up behind him and spun him around by the shoulder before breaking his nose and knocking him down in the process with his fist.

Not even a second after Charming hit the floor did Bigby roughly pick him up by his collar and force him against the wall, with his feet dangling off the ground and clutching his broken, bleeding nose tightly.

Bigby had yellow eyes and was ready to bite Charming's throat out, even with his human teeth he could tear flesh from bone; when he spoke his voice was growly and deep "If you hit her or any other woman EVER again then I will RIP YOU TO FUCKING PIECES!" Bigby threw Charming across the room and he quickly sprinted into the elevator, his shirt covered in blood and his skin pale from the horror he had been subjected to.

Bigby still felt like he needed to kill something and the other Fables were looking at him cautiously, so to calm down his nerves he grabbed a large whiskey and downed it quickly. The burning in his throat distracted him from his anger; he closed his eyes and breathed slowly to eventually calm himself down. He perked up when he heard clapping.

He turned around to see that everyone present was clapping; it must've been because of his actions against Charming but also the self-restraint he had shown at the same time.

Snow had been taken to a chair by Briar and Cindy; Bigby grabbed his handkerchief from his jacket pocket and wrapped up some ice cubs from a bucket. He walked over to Snow to inspect the damage.

"Snow, you ok?" She didn't look at him but she did pull her hand away to reveal a nasty mark on her face, Bigby knelt and put the cold, wet fabric to the mark and Snow leaned into it with a wince.

Cindy pulled up another chair next to Snow's and Bigby sat in it; Snow leaned against him as he continued to dab the mark, he stroked her other arm and whispered sweet nothings in her ear as a means to comfort her. Snow wasn't crying anymore, but she wasn't looking happy either; unless you could see through her that is, Snow was happy on the inside, happy that Bigby was there to look after her when she normally wouldn't have a real shoulder to cry on.

The others came over to ask Snow if she was ok, she wouldn't respond but either Bigby or the other 2 women would politely tell them that she would be fine and to continue enjoying their night.

Briar and Cindy sat opposite the two; Briar spoke "What the hell was wrong with him? I've never seen him like that before..."

Bigby replied "He tried to take advantage of Snow when I was gone; maybe he was jealous of how great things have turned out for all of you" They nodded in response.

Cindy then spoke "What will happen to him now?"

Bigby pondered a response before replying with a shrug "He was very drunk; I'm not gonna arrest him but if he hits any of you 3 again then he'll regret it..."

Briar spoke sarcastically and with a smile "Our hero"

* * *

><p>When the celebration was over, Bigby took Snow back to her apartment and helped her through the door.<p>

"Thank you, Bigby" She sounded tired and still distant; Bigby carried her to her bed and helped her out of her dress.

She got under the covers in just her panties; Bigby took off his vest and jacket and got in with her still in his clothes, but was resting against the headboard.

Snow snuggled close to him and leant her head on his chest "I'm sorry; I was pathetic tonight..."

He kissed her head and held her tighter "No you weren't, just because I was there to comfort you doesn't make you pathetic, it just proves that you hate being lonely..."

She buried her face in his chest "I never thought I'd say it but... I need you Bigby, more than I've ever needed anyone"

Bigby smiled and stroked her head "I've always been there for you, Snow; you just never thought you'd need me that way before"

She slowly drifted off in his arms; when he was sure she was asleep he laid her down, covered her with the sheets and kissed her cheek softly before leaving the apartment, Bigby didn't feel like having company for the night, so his apartment was the port-of-call for sleep, but not right now.

Bigby instead walked down to the lobby and went outside for a smoke; the humid air of the night hit him in full force and reminded him of the night he met Faith for the first time _"I never followed up on Nerissa..."_ Bigby realised that he didn't really care what the situation was with Nerissa and Faith, as far as he was concerned the Crooked Man ordeal was over now and Nick was the only problem left.

Nick had been watching Bigby from the corner of Bullfinch Street, holding an empty bottle of Imperial beer and singing lowly like a pirate "What do ya do when the day is over, what do ya do when your mates are over, what do ya do when you're feeling sober, ya grab a bottle of Imperial" Nick tossed the bottle into the air and caught it a few times before throwing it at Bigby "Heads up, Wolfie!".

The bottle smashed against Bigby's temple and he staggered with a cry from the impact; when he turned to the direction of the throw he caught a glimpse of Nick turning the corner at a hurried pace.

Bigby chased after Nick in an instant; rounding the corner and sliding over the hood of a taxi to keep up with him. Nick was remarkably quick for such a big guy, but even though Bigby couldn't change form, he could keep up nonetheless.

Nick managed to lose Bigby by running into oncoming traffic, making quite the display of using parkour to manoeuvre through the masses of taxis, cars and buses while Bigby had to hop to the side or simply run over the moving vehicles.

He saw Nick run into an apartment complex and chased him inside; running up the stairs and going out onto the roof. Nick was standing at the edge with his back to it and grinning; Bigby sprinted forwards and went to tackle him, but Nick free-fell backwards and Bigby shot over him.

Bigby collided with the ground hard and felt as though he had broken his shoulder from the impact; Nick had landed on his feet and continued running away, Bigby got up and flexed out his arm, his shoulder was fine but it hurt like all hell.

He couldn't see Nick anymore; but he had already caught wind of his scent, the unmistakable smell of seawater and old cigars, with a slight tinge of sweet toxins that a normal person would never be able to smell. He knew where he was going but he was unsure as to why he would go there of all places...

* * *

><p>O The Trip Trap<p>

Holly, Gren and Woody had toasted the Exodus inside the bar; they couldn't attend the celebration at the Woodland's due to not owning anything fancy to wear.

They were about to leave before a familiar sight walked slowly through the door; the sounds of his booted feet were heavy on the wooden floor and he was smiling from ear to ear.

"And how is everyone on this grandest of nights?" Nick had walked into the bar holding the same stainless steel revolver that Mary had used on Bigby almost a year ago and was aiming it between the 3 Fables menacingly.

Holly was frozen behind her bar as Nick walked up to it slowly; Woody was by the pool table and Gren was backing away to the side as Nick came closer.

When Nick reached the bar he continued to aim the weapon at Holly's face "Whiskey, pint, now" Holly shakily retrieved a pint glass and a bottle of whiskey from under the bar and poured the drink.

Nick looked down at the drink and back up at Holly, he put the revolver down the back of his jeans and put his hands on the bar "Salt and a spoon please"

A confused Holly grabbed the salt and spoon from under the bar, Nick poured some salt into his drink and stirred it slowly. He took a long sip of it and sighed in content afterwards.

Bigby suddenly burst into the bar "Nick!"

Nick hopped the bar and held Holly by the throat as he pointed the revolver at Bigby "Took you long enough, Wolfie"

Bigby stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the revolver that nearly killed him; Nick chuckled "Don't worry; they're not silver bullets..."

Bigby remained unconvinced "Why not?"

Nick seemed amused at his comment "Because that would be far too easy; I want to have some fun with you first..."

Nick put the revolver away again but continued to grip Holly's throat, he noticed her twitch slightly and gripped tighter as he put his lips to her ear "Try anything and you'll regret it, troll"

Holly choked out her breathes as Nick released his grip on her. He hopped back over the bar and sat on one of the stools, gesturing for Bigby to sit in the one next to him.

Bigby warily started over to the stool and sat in it as Nick took another sip of his whiskey.

Bigby perked up "Let me guess, you salt your whiskey because it's fresh, right?"

Nick hummed his response "Very good, you're not a half bad detective are you..."

Bigby continued to stare at him "I can smell the salt, but I'll take your compliment"

Nick remembered back to when he drank Totenkinder's cup of tea on the 13th Floor, she had salted it as well put sugar in it, obviously she knew of its effects as well.

Holly kept looking at Bigby as though she was waiting for him to solve the problem, but Bigby looked back as if to say 'let it play out'. Woody had picked up his axe and was slowly creeping up to Nick; he didn't get within 3 feet of him before Nick brandished the revolver and stuck it against Woody's forehead.

He clicked back the hammer and didn't turn around "Back off before I put a bullet in your head and cut it off with your axe"

Woody backed away slowly; when he reached the pool table again, Nick clicked the hammer forward and holstered the revolver down his jeans again.

Bigby spoke up "Holly can you get me a whiskey please?"

Nick spoke up afterwards "I'm paying by the way..." Nick pulled out a $20 bill and placed it on the bar.

Holly grabbed a double glass and filled it with the same bottle she had used for Nick's drink. Bigby took a long sip of the drink and turned his attention to Nick.

Nick sighed before speaking "Alright Wolfie, I'm gonna make you a deal: If you give yourself up to me right now then I will leave this world and never return... but if you refuse; then you'd better be ready to suffer the consequences"

Bigby seemed to ponder his options before standing up and walking over to the dart board, then he spoke "You can go fuck yourself, one way or another I'm gonna get back what you stole from me, and then I'm gonna rip you to pieces..."

Nick stood up and walked past Bigby to the door; Bigby followed him and Nick turned to face him before leaving.

"You wanna change your mind?"

Bigby half smiled before tossing what was left of his drink into Nick's face; it burned into his skin but Nick refused to let his pain show, his eyes did burn a fierce yellow for a few seconds however.

"Fine" With that Nick materialised his coat, put it on and flipped up the hood. Bigby had to ask "How do you do that?"

Nick got out the door and spoke before it closed "Black magic has a lot of pointless uses just like all magic does..."

Bigby sighed heavily and turned back to the 3 still-in-shock Fables "Are you guys ok?"

* * *

><p><strong>Next time: Bigby returns to the Homelands... (Next chapter will contain smut in the beginning)<strong>

**I hope you guys are still enjoying this story, I feel as if I'm slipping with my content...**

**Anyways, please leave a review and I will see you next time!**


	7. Back To The Homelands part 1

**Back to the Homelands part 1 – The Journey Begins**

**Ok I kinda lied with the last Chapter, I wrote this Chapter AFTER publishing the previous one and as a result, this Chapter ends with Bigby just entering the Homelands, the plan was for him to enter about halfway in. Although now I can give you loads more content in the Chapters to come...**

**As always, please enjoy!**

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><p>O Bigby's apartment, the next morning<p>

Bigby woke up at the feel of the morning sun shining on his face; he had returned home after ensuring that everything was ok at the Trip Trap, Holly was shaken up but Gren assured him that she would be fine.

He ran his hands over his face and groaned a little, he hadn't gotten much sleep and was probably late for work, but hopefully Snow wouldn't be too mad at him.

He got out of his chair and walked into his kitchen for some coffee, he was only wearing his briefs and had forgotten to open the window and turn on the fan so the room was extra stuffy. Bigby started boiling the coffee and opened the window, the breeze was light but it made him feel better within seconds.

He ran over what Nick had said to him in his head; he obviously wasn't going to let him take his soul, but looking back he couldn't tell whether or not Nick was lying. Bigby would always trade his life for Snow's without a second thought, but if Nick killed him and then destroyed Fabletown, it would all have been for nothing.

Bigby poured the coffee and took a long sip of the stuff before hearing a knock at his door; it could only be one person...

Bigby quickly threw on his pants and slid on his shirt but didn't bother buttoning it up, the person knocked again a little louder "I'm coming!"

Bigby opened the door to see Snow on the other side smiling back at him, she was in her work clothes but her jacket was open.

"Morning... can I come in?" Bigby let Snow in and walked back to his chair in silence; Snow closed the door and took off her jacket, placing it on one of the chairs at the small dining table.

Bigby sat back in the chair and seemed distant, he was still going over what Nick had said to him and for once he didn't know what to do. He looked up at Snow to see her beholding him with a look of worry on her face.

Bigby spread his arms as a gesture and Snow took the hint with a smile. She sat down on his lap with her legs draped over the right arm of the chair, wrapping an arm around his shoulders while the other rested on his bare chest, her head resting against his shoulder. Bigby pulled her close while his other hand rested on her thigh, his head was still resting against the back of the chair.

"I missed you this morning" Snow looked up at Bigby as she spoke; he looked into her eyes and smiled.

"Sorry, I wasn't feeling right after Charming hit you, I just needed some space..."

Snow stroked his cheek "I'm glad you were there" He smiled back at her.

Snow rested her head back on his shoulder and after a while, Bigby sighed and spoke "I need to tell you something" Snow sat up and looked at him awaiting his words.

"Nick's back. He's back and he threatened me"

Snow pulled a look of shock "No, are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

Bigby looked amused "Aren't I supposed to ask you those things?"

Snow didn't look impressed with his response "Bigby I'm being serious here, I can't lose you again!"

He cupped her face "I know, I know; he made me an offer: my soul for Fabletown's safety"

"And you obviously said no, right?"

Bigby nodded but looked distant "I'm not sure if it was the right choice though..."

Snow pulled Bigby in for a brief kiss "Why?"

"I can't defend this town Snow! Nick took away my powers, I'm useless now!"

Snow's face became intimidating to say the least "Bigby, you are FAR from useless; you can still deal with things without shape shifting into a monster..."

Bigby pulled a similar expression to hers "Colin was right Snow; you need monsters to fight monsters"

Before Bigby could get up, Snow adjusted herself so she was straddling his waist with her hands resting on his shoulders.

"Snow-"

"No, I didn't fall in love with a monster; I fell in love with Bigby Wolf"

Bigby put his hands on Snow's waist as she spoke again "Besides, I still need to reward you for last night..."

Bigby finally smiled as Snow leaned in for a hungry kiss, her hands moved to slip off his shirt before tossing it behind her. Bigby moved his hands under Snow's shirt, one trailed up her back as the other trailed up her stomach towards her chest. Snow moaned in pleasure as Bigby's hands left goose bumps in their wake, one hand teased her breasts as the other gently pushed her forward.

Snow took off her heels and wrapped her legs around Bigby's waist, he pulled away from her mouth and Snow's lips were pursed "Don't we have work to do today?"

Snow answered in a sexy voice "I'm sure Blue can handle the Business Office for a while longer..." Bigby let out a soft growl as he reignited their fiery kiss. He unclasped Snow's bra before unbuttoning her blouse slowly; Snow threw it off and removed her bra as well afterwards. Bigby's hands kneaded at her breasts and Snow could feel Bigby's hardness through his pants.

He stood up and planted Snow against the wall as their kiss became hungrier; Snow pulled Bigby's head in close as his hands held her up by her ass.

She pulled away with a nibble on his lower lip and Bigby set her down; he got on his knees and slipped off her skirt, admiring her snowflake underwear as his hot breath hit her crotch and Snow gasped quietly at the feel of it. Bigby stood up and Snow slipped off his pants and briefs to admire his length.

She stroked him slowly and Bigby planted his hands against the wall, she hadn't done 'this' to him in so long he had almost forgotten how amazing it felt. Snow took him all the way in and Bigby's breathing became heavier as he placed a hand to Snow's head and guided her onto him quicker.

He didn't want his release yet so he pulled Snow's head away and pulled her up to her feet; Bigby placed his mouth to Snow's neck and kissed her with an open mouth, his teeth nipping gently at her skin. Snow moaned at the feeling and Bigby slipped off her underwear and started rubbing her slowly.

She pulled him in closer as Bigby felt his fingers getting wet, he slipped them inside her and Snow gasped loudly as her face pulled a genuine smile. He rubbed her slowly at first but gradually sped up as he trailed his lips up her throat to meet her lips once more, not caring about where her mouth had just been.

Bigby pulled his fingers out and placed himself inside of Snow as he hoisted her up again, she wrapped her legs around him once more and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in close. Bigby thrust up into Snow as he placed his hands on her ass again, albeit more tightly and moved his mouth to her ear, panting into it as Snow did the same.

She came just before he did and Bigby slowly collapsed to the floor, lying on his back as Snow lay next to him cuddling his side.

"Did you enjoy that, Mr Wolf?" Snow's voice was breathy and soft.

Bigby turned to her and kissed her forehead "Not quite the reward they depict in the storybook's... but I'm pretty sure this hero enjoyed it"

Snow slapped his chest and Bigby chuckled at her reaction; she stood up and started to re-dress herself, Bigby stood up and quickly grabbed his work clothes from his wardrobe. When they were finished dressing, he came up behind her and pulled her into an embrace, kissing behind her left ear "This is gonna sound sudden but, can I move in with you?"

Snow turned around in his arms and kissed him once "Of course you can move in with me..."

* * *

><p>They left the apartment and walked hand in hand towards the Business Office, the line of Fables wasn't very long but they did give passive glances to the couple. As Snow reached the door she turned to Bigby "I'll see you later then?"<p>

Bigby smiled "Sure" he leaned in for a quick kiss and walked away to the Security Office, leaving Snow blushing as she walked over to her desk.

Bigby walked into the Office and smelled something off when he got inside, he scanned the room before hearing the door shut loudly behind him. He turned around as Cindy went to stab at him from above with a knife; Bigby blocked her attack with his right arm before grabbing it and forcing her head onto his desk with his other hand, her arm outstretched; he twisted her arm to make her drop the knife before letting her up.

"You're getting better..." Bigby grinned at Cindy as she rubbed her arm from the pain; she could never beat Bigby in a straight up fight, he had taught her almost everything she knew, but even with her own personal training in martial arts and fencing lessons from Bluebeard, he was far quicker and stronger than her even in human form, plus he had much more experience in fighting than she did.

"Good to see that you haven't gone rusty, Boss" Cindy smiled back as the two sat down in their respective seats "So, is there anything you want me to do?"

"Yeah, if you can, I want you to keep an eye out for Nick, but don't engage him"

Cindy rolled her eyes "Yeah, yeah, trust me; I learned my lesson the hard way..."

Cindy stood up and walked out of the Office. She bumped into 2 men on her way out...

Bigby was on the other side of his desk about to leave his Office before Rook kicked the door into him, Bigby hit the desk and Rook tackled him over it. They landed on the floor and Rook took a swing at Bigby's head with his knife, Bigby blocked the attack and slammed his head against wall before kicking him away.

As Rook squirmed on the floor, Bigby got up and darted his eyes towards the door, Artax marched in, grabbed Bigby's desk and started pushing it towards him, Rook rolled out of the way and Bigby hopped onto the desk as it collided with the wall behind him. He kicked Artax in the face and hopped onto the floor afterwards, tackling Artax into the wall opposite his Office.

Rook got to his feet and was about to stab Bigby in the back as he struggled with Artax, before Cindy kicked him in the ribs and knocked him to the side. She brandished her own knife and started to attack Rook, he was quick and just as skilled as she was; Artax countered and slammed Bigby into the wall before laying into him with a couple of body blows and hook to the face.

Bigby fell to the floor but kicked out Artax's knee as he went to stomp him, Artax feel onto one knee and Bigby threw a punch at his face, breaking his nose with a crack and knocking him to the floor.

Rook grabbed Cindy's arm and managed to pry the knife away from her, slashing at her stomach afterwards, he went to slash at her from above but Cindy moved to the side and kicked off the wall into Rook, tackling him down the stairs into the lobby. The tumble down the stairs left both of them in a daze but Rook recovered first, he pinned Cindy with his weight and was trying to force the knife into her chest, he was winning.

Before the knife could pierce her skin, Grimble (minus his glamour) picked up Rook and threw him through the door of the Woodland's much like Gren had done to Nick months ago, Trusty John moved to the side as Grimble followed Rook outside and threw him at the gates of the Woodland's, they opened suddenly and Damien threw a fireball at Grimble as Rook landed on the sidewalk and rolled to a stop, groggily getting to his feet.

Grimble thrashed about trying to put out the flames and Damien smiled at him wickedly, he ran forward and double heel kicked Grimble in the face. He got up and waltzed into the lobby, followed closely by Nick as they made their way slowly up the stairs, ignoring Cindy as she struggled to her feet.

Meanwhile, Bigby and Artax were still trading blows but it was slowly becoming clear that Bigby would lose to the human-looking troll's strength, his face was more bloodied and beaten and he was getting weaker. Suddenly, Artax moved away and Nick came running up the stairs, tackling Bigby through the door of the Business Office and tossing him at Snow's desk, he landed just in front of it.

Snow was being restrained by Mary who had clearly entered through the Magic Mirror as it was groaning pain and its spectral image was flashing red. Bigby got to his feet and saw Nick, Artax, Rook and Damien enter the Business Office. Nick snapped his fingers and a blue portal opened in the middle of the room, it was shaped like a doorway.

As Nick's boys jumped through the portal, Mary shoved Snow aside and jumped through it as well; Nick pulled out the vial he had left and showed it to a clearly weak Bigby.

"You know what this is, so come and get it" The vial was calling to Bigby in his mind, plus it had a distinct smell that was engraved in his head much like Snow's, it smelt just like him.

Bigby went to lunge for the vial but Nick pulled out his revolver and emptied 5 rounds into Bigby's torso, he staggered with each shot and blood oozed from the wound's afterwards, Bigby fell to the ground and rested against Snow's desk, Nick walked up to him and put the hot muzzle against Bigby's head "I'll see you around, Wolf" And then he fired the 6th shot. The last thing Bigby heard was Snow yelling through her tears and sadness "BIGBY!"

Nick ran towards the portal and leapt into it "Ya-Hoo!" Snow ran up to Bigby as an injured and now human Grimble helped a limping Cindy into the Business Office "Grimble, call Swineheart now!"

* * *

><p>O The Knights of Malta Hospital, 2 weeks later<p>

Bigby woke up in a daze; the familiar smells of medicine told him that he was in the hospital and he could feel bandages on his head. He was hooked up to machines, apparently for measuring things like heart rates, and a drip. He shifted his head up off the pillow and felt how stiff his neck was from the action.

He looked down at his torso to see it fully healed with no scarring, though the same could not necessarily be said for his head. Suddenly he felt soft lips touch his own and he caught her scent at last. Snow had been sat on the side of the bed holding Bigby's hand and upon noticing him wake up she kissed him.

She pulled away and stroked his cheek "Welcome back"

Bigby groaned as Snow helped him to sit up "How long have I been out?"

"About 2 weeks, you were shot in the head and fell into a coma..."

Her voice quivered a little when she finished her sentence, he replied weakly "Nick wasn't trying to kill me... he wants to make me suffer"

Snow held his hand in both of hers and took in what he was saying "So, what are we going to about Nick?"

Bigby looked Snow in the eye "You're not going to do anything, I'm gonna deal with him and I don't want an argument about it..."

* * *

><p>O The Woodland's, 1 day later<p>

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Snow was talking quietly with Bigby in the Business Office away from the other Fables. Bigby was wearing the shirt, slacks and boots of his Halloween outfit to match what clothing would be found in the Homelands. He didn't have a scar on his forehead, much to the annoyance of Gren who had made a $50 bet with Woody that he would have a scar from the gunshot.

"Yeah, I'm sure" Bigby had revealed in a private meeting with Snow and Mayor Cole that Cindy worked for him, and he had asked both Cindy and Boy Blue to be his back-up, but they were only to come in if he expressly asked for their help, less they suffer his wrath afterwards. To ensure that they could answer his call however, Bigby had asked the Magic Mirror to watch his every move whilst he was in the Homelands, of course because time moved at roughly double speed there, whoever was watching the Mirror would end up losing a lot of sleep as a result.

In spite of this, chairs had been pulled up in front of the Mirror and Beast, Beauty, Boy Blue, Cindy, Briar Rose, Holly, Woody, Gren and Snow had all planned on watching Bigby's adventure in the Homelands. Boy Blue had checked through the portal which was still active and it lead out into the sky, hence why Nick and the others had jumped through it.

"Don't worry Snow, I'll come back to you, I promise" Bigby pulled Snow into a loving embrace and she responded in kind.

"I'll wait for you" They pulled away and shared a final longing kiss before Bigby walked over to Cindy and took the parachute that she was holding.

He put it on and strapped it up before moving to the portal; unfortunately Bigby wasn't keen on heights and he was hesitant to jump through, he got so lost in slowing his breathing to calm himself down that he didn't notice Cindy coming up behind him and tapping his shoulder.

He shuddered at the contact and turned around to see Cindy holding his lighter "Just in case, you know..."

Bigby took the lighter and turned around again "Uh thanks"

"Good luck, Boss" And then Cindy pushed him through the portal.

Snow was in shock "Cindy, what the hell!"

Cindy shrugged "What? He wasn't going to jump through by himself..."

* * *

><p><strong>Next time: (I'm gonna be a bit of a prick here, the next chapter will focus once again on Nick) We flashback and see what Nick got up to in the 4 months he was away from the Mundane world...<strong>

**So things are gonna be working differently now: Fabletown will no longer be central to this story and EVERYTHING will be happening in the Homelands. I will of course put in the reactions of people like Snow and the others whilst they are watching Bigby's progress through the Magic Mirror, but from here on out the story will focus on Nick, Bigby, the new OC's (I have several more to introduce btw) and characters from the comics.**

**As always, I hope you are enjoying this story, please leave a review and I will see you next time, dear readers!**


	8. Intermission

**Intermission – 4 Months Of Planning**

**Sorry for the long wait, I kept saying to myself that this Chapter wasn't ready but I'm pretty sure I had either writer's block or I was just being lazy...**

**Now listen up, this is important: This Chapter contains hints about the third and final Act of this story, particularly during the conversations with Death and Lake, pay attnetion and you may figure out for yourselves as to what will happen to Bigby and Fabletown, or maybe I'm leading you astray because I haven't given you all of the information yet... All in good time ppl, all in good time.**

* * *

><p>O 1st Month at Sea<p>

Nick enters his realm after quite some time away from it; it's no longer raining and the hole in the ground is gone and so is the freshwater. He walks around for a bit before changing into his true form.

Nick strokes his horse head as it begins to make alarming noises at the feel of a new presence in the area; Nick's horse head was connected to him like a hive mind despite being fully capable of sentient control, Nick could control it at will but most of the time he let it do its own thing.

His horse head's eyes glow a fiery orange and its breath becomes hot as Nick shouts "Death! Where are you!?"

As if on cue, Death appears in front of Nick with his arms crossed; Nick's horse body rears up at the sight but he gets it under control in an instant.

"What do you want, Harbinger?" Death always looked at Nick as though he was beneath him, in truth he was but at the moment Nick was the stronger player in this game.

"You told the Wolf how to escape didn't you?" Nick points a clawed finger at his Master; his arm was so long that he had to bend it so it didn't go past Death's head, given how the bend of Nick's arm came down to his horse body's shoulders in his true form.

"Of course I did, I wasn't going to let you take him... The results would've been less than savoury to say the least" Death almost pulled a full smile at his comment.

If Death wasn't just a spirit then Nick would've gladly attacked him for his actions "You really think that the Wolf has what it takes to stop me?"

Death faltered then as he looked down a little, Nick's face took on an expression of surprise.

"... You didn't tell him did you?"

Death looked the so-called Devil in the eyes as he spoke "Tell him what?"

Nick wasn't going to give him the satisfaction "You know what you've done, right? This will turn to shit before it ends..."

Death had had enough; but before he could say anything, the floor began to sway a little and the two looked around before looking back at each other, Death spoke mockingly "Wind's are picking up, Captain"

With that, Nick left his realm by waking up; leaving Death to think about what his creation had said to him...

* * *

><p>Nick wakes with the swaying movement all around him, the waves of the sea are crashing against the hull of the ship a bit more fiercely now and the subtle changes in the way the ship sways is enough to wake him from his slumber. For once he found sleep with a purpose.<p>

He gets up and stretches out with a prolonged yawn, time passes at the same speed in his other realm, but it can take a lot out of him if he stays there for too long.

He looks back to see a fully naked Mary lying on her front and being half covered by his bed sheets, she could sleep through a thunderstorm so he doesn't bother waking her, she isn't much of a morning person either...

Nick puts on his sea-faring attire: a simple white shirt with a tie-up collar and wrists, heavily worn black slacks and black leather boots with the tops turned down that have seen better days. He exits his spacious cabin and enters out onto the deck.

It's late morning and in spite of the wind, the sky is clear with a brightly shining sun, its rays are bringing the crew to a sweat already and most have completely stripped themselves of any upper body clothing to help combat their dehydration.

"Captain's on deck!" One of the Goblins shouts to the others and they instantly start working a little harder at Nick's sudden appearance. Nick wasn't a harsh captain but he did demand respect and nothing but the best from the entirety of his 80 man crew.

"At ease, lads" Nick walks around the deck to inspect the armaments of his Galleon; his ship contained 3 decks of cannons amounting to around 60 in total, 4 carronades on the front of the ship, 4 mortar's edged around the centre mast and 6 swivel guns, 4 on the rear of the ship close to the wheel and 2 at the front.

Nick's Galleon, The Adversary, initially belonged to the Empire's Navy and was quoted as being the best ship of the fleet; that is until The Adversary himself had asked Nick to join his Empire, when Nick refused he made it clear that he would never join by stealing the ship in the middle of the night and destroying the entire Naval fleet. He massacred the crew that opposed him and spared the crew that swore allegiance to him.

The Adversary itself was almost 80 feet in length, had 3 masts and carried enough ammunition to end a small war, it was coloured black with red trim, had blood red sails and flew a Pirate's flag; the flag itself was an Ace of Spades with a skull inside it. The ship was made of a special type of oak wood that was notoriously tough whilst also being light in weight, so not only was the ship fully capable of surviving mass naval warfare, it was also very fast for a Man-O-War class ship.

Nick walks to the edge of the ship and looks down into the inviting temptations of the sea; the way it's waters smooth over his skin like satin and cleanse him of whatever dirt or grime he has become covered with within seconds, not to mention how he can swim under the surface for as long as he wants and as fast as he wants to.

He can resist the urge for now however, as he goes over what he did in his realm only minutes ago...

* * *

><p>O 2nd Month at Sea<p>

2 Months in and Nick had finally gone to land; the ship needed to resupply itself of food and water and the crew were in desperate need of some company from the opposite sex; Mary was off-limits and if anyone tried to get with her then they would regret it, but she would always be the one to punish them...

While the crew were enjoying themselves and restocking the ship, Nick had other plans. The last time Nick had come to this particular port was so that he could enter its forest's and locate the Lady of the Lake, but that was many hundreds of years ago.

He needed to find her again and reacquaint himself with the outcomes of those that lived in Fabletown; the only Fate that he could remember was Bigby's...

Nick walks into the forest and unleashes his true form, he gallops at a great speed towards his destination, it's been centuries but he still remembers the way. He comes to a small straw hut in the middle of a tiny clearing; but going inside it leads into a very large room made of engraved and polished stone, the woman in question is standing at the back and doesn't hear him come in.

Nick trots loudly towards Lake and she turns around quickly and in fear "No! Go away! I won't help you again!"

The last time Nick found Lake; he tortured her with hellfire and violence until she gave up the Book of Fates to him, going so far as to torture her even after she gave him the book for simply wasting his time.

"Give me the book and I won't hurt you as much..." Nick stretches out his overly long arm and crooks his finger repeatedly at Lake. A single tear drops from Lake's eye as she hands over book, Nick grabs her anyway and pulls her close. She trembles and cowers as he scans over the expression of pure fear on her face.

"Hmph, for an agent of the Fates, you're pretty useless in defending yourself aren't you..." Nick drops Lake to the floor and she scurries backwards a little as she watches the giant monster before her read through the pages of the book.

Nick finds the pages he is looking for and nods a little when he is done reading them. When finished, he drops the book to the floor, but towers over Lake when she reaches for it "What is my fate? How do I die?"

Lake shakes her head at him but Nick grabs her and throws her clear across the room, she raises her hands up defensively but Nick grabs her neck with one hand and grips tightly "Tell me now or you will die very fucking slowly"

Lake coughs as Nick releases his grip a little; he asks again but with menace "How do I die!?"

Lake simply replies "You don't"

* * *

><p>O 3rd Month at Sea<p>

Nick and Mary walk through the snow and the light blizzard hoping to reach the Snow Queen's castle before it gets dark; Nick had put on a sturdy black leather coat with red trim, it was parted at the back from the waist down and had a raised collar. Mary had resorted to wearing a large brown fur coat made from animal skin's to keep herself warm.

They got within sight of the castle before Mary suddenly flew towards it; she landed just clear of its drawbridge and looked back to see Nick staring down a giant man with white hair.

Mr North had appeared in front of Nick wearing his blue, medieval looking attire that denoted him as a Primordial Wind and had ensured that Mary couldn't interrupt them.

"Well, well; the biggest of the 4 blowhards finally decides to come and see me, you certainly took a long time North..."

North didn't know what he was feeling as he replied "You hurt my son-"

Nick laughed in his face "Awww, did I hurt Daddy's favourite child? You know I never figured you as the type to take favourites, was it because Bigby rebelled against you or because he has potential in this life?"

North had never been one to form lasting relationships with friends or family, such was his nature as a Wind, but he felt a connection to Bigby in spite of everything "He's the only one of my sons that is worth a tinker's damn and he does not deserve to be killed by the likes of you"

North moved closer to Nick and stared him in the eye, Nick replied sternly "Remember what happens when people like US do this sort of thing, North; I doubt the Snow Queen would appreciate her castle being destroyed and her subjects killed simply because I hurt your favourite Son"

North replied "Lumi is one of my subjects too; she cannot stop me from doing this..."

Nick replied "And what is 'this' exactly, are you going to kill me? I doubt even YOU could kill me, though I bet that I could kill you given enough time and without that little Casket of Winds you carry around."

North had to agree internally that Nick was right, but he would never let it show to the world "Fine; I am powerless to help my Son anyways, we Winds cannot choose within our Family's..."

North suddenly disappeared and Nick quickly made his way to Mary, who had been waiting with little patience "Is the blowhard going to become a problem? Cuz I've always wanted to see how I would match up against the breeze..."

Nick snorted as he walked towards the castle gates "You wouldn't last 5 seconds against him, my dear"

After waltzing through the gate and going straight into the castle's main hall; Nick and a reluctant Mary both bowed before the Snow Queen, Lumi.

Lumi stood up from her chair and examined the two with precision, she could feel the power emanating from Nick and was enticed by his looks "Who are you two?"

They both stood up and Nick addressed for both of them "My Queen, I am the Harbinger of Doom, the Nuckelavee of Mundane legend; people call me Nick. This is Bloody Mary, a mirror demon and one of some renown in the Mundane world..."

Lumi moved towards the Devil and examined him more closely "You have already acquired my interest, Harbinger; though I was under the impression that you had been killed quite some time ago."

Nick smiled "A different time and a different body; things have changed since then, my Queen"

Lumi continued to stare into Nick's different coloured eyes "What are you doing here?"

Nick pulled out one of the vials and showed it to Lumi, she could feel its tremendous power as well "You have a certain man in your company that would like this vial, yes? You may have it; but you can only use it when its true owner comes to claim it..."

Lumi knew who 'the man in her company' was already, but couldn't figure out who the owner of the vial was "Very well, Harbinger. Would you stay for the night or will you be on your way?"

Nick looked at Mary, she shrugged with a half smile, he turned back to Lumi "We would like to stay the night... can we stay for other nights as well in the future?"

Lumi took the vial and nodded "You are my honoured guests, would you join me for dinner?"

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><p>O 4th Month at Sea<p>

Nick had docked The Adversary on the Western side of the Homelands; he and Mary were now ready to return to the Mundane world.

"When we get back we have to sort some things out before we deal with the Wolf, starting with my old pier..."

Nick flashed up a blue portal and he and Mary walked through it, it disappeared as soon as they did. The portal lead to outside Shepherd Metalwork's and Nick's all-black Harley Davidson from his days in WW2 was waiting for him already.

"Black Magic really does have some interesting uses doesn't it" Mary pointed to the bike and felt the fabric of Nick's hooded coat as well.

"It took me a while to learn how to create clothing and even longer to create technology, but now I'm grateful for my patience"

They both got onto the bike and Nick materialized a pair of Aviator shades for Mary "Thought you might like these"

Mary gave Nick's cheek a kiss and put the shades on, she hugged Nick's waist as they drove off towards the burned down pier...

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><p><strong>Next time: (Back on track with main story again!) Bigby enters the Homelands to a less-than-warm welcome...<strong>

**As always, please please PLEASE leave a review, fav/follow if you want to and I will see you hopefully in the next few days, I'm really going to push myself to deliver chapters to you quicker...**


	9. Back To The Homelands part 2

**Back to the Homelands part 2 – A Less-Than-Warm Welcome**

**Back on track ppl! This chapter isn't as long as I expected it to be, but it does give us some suspense for the next few chapters to come...**

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><p>"Cindy, I'm gonna fucking kill you when I get back!" Bigby was falling, free-falling to be exact.<p>

* * *

><p>Cindy smirked in her chair and spoke up "Oh please, he loves me really"<p>

* * *

><p>Cindy had shoved Bigby through the portal under the assumption that he wouldn't jump willingly, unfortunately she was right, but he wasn't quite ready for the sight that would greet him.<p>

The sky was blue and the sun was bright in his face, it must've been late morning at most given the temperature and how high the sun was for the time of day. But at this height, the speed he was falling at and how uncontrolled his decent was meant that death was more certain for Bigby than sightseeing.

Bigby eventually managed to get his decent under control and free-fell at a steadier speed without thrashing about wildly, he would have to judge for himself when he could release his chute but for now he could take in the sights of high mountains, vast forests, a distant blue ocean that spanned miles upon miles and a myriad of villages and towns that were no doubt occupied by the Adversary's forces.

On the ground however, the Empire's flying swarm of giant eagles and fearsome dragons had started their flying drills for the day and were heading straight into Bigby's path.

Bigby released his chute and noticed a little too late that the swarm was heading his way. The swarm commander noticed the man falling slowly from the sky and yelled to his men "He shouldn't be flying! Shoot him down!"

Bigby's eyes widened at the sight of a flurry of arrows heading his way from various black dots in the distance, one flurry was all it took for one arrow to pierce his left thigh, another to graze past his head and a few more to rip through his chute. Bigby began to spiral out of control and in a moment of desperation, he ripped the arrow from his thigh and cut the straps of his chute.

Bigby was falling once again but quickly pulled the cord for his back-up chute, it opened and he was descending slowly once more. The swarm flew past him but chances were that they would turn around and attack him again.

Back on the ground, Rook had been watching Bigby through the iron sights of his Springfield Model 1861, this particular musket was an original from the Civil War so it used black powder and .58 caliber Minié ball ammunition, but Rook kept it in perfect condition and had practiced so much with it that he could hit moving targets from over 700 yards away in spite of the musket's infamous lack of accuracy.

"Time to fly, Wolf" Rook lined up his shot and fired; the bullet went through both straps of his spare chute and Bigby started free-falling, again.

Luck was smiling on him this time however, one the swarm's dragon's had flown just underneath Bigby and he grabbed onto its tail as it flew by. The dragon started thrashing its tail about wildly but Bigby wouldn't let go, he dragged his way along the tail's spines and managed to get onto the dragon's back; one of the two rider's noticed Bigby and went to attack him.

He drew his sword and slashed at Bigby from above; Bigby grabbed his arm and punched his throat, throwing the choking rider off the dragon to his death afterwards but keeping the sword he was holding. He ran up behind the other rider and kicked him forward before he could stand and attack, stabbing him through the back of the head and subsequently killing the dragon as well as the blade pierced it's throat.

The dragon went into a limp skydive and Bigby prepared himself for a rough landing. The dead beast hit the grassy floor and Bigby was flung from it upon impact, he tumbled across the ground hard before stopping dead in his tracks upon colliding with a rock.

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><p>"Is he dead?" Snow was holding her hand over her mouth in shock, her worries were silenced by reassurance from Woody "I don't think so, but he won't be able to fight in that condition..."<p>

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><p>Bigby dragged himself up, gritting his teeth and cursing under his breath; his left shoulder was broken and bleeding from the impact. He took a deep breath and used his other arm to snap his dislocated shoulder back into place, it entered the socket with an audible crack and Bigby yelled from the pain, thankfully the sudden rush of pain was brief.<p>

Bigby composed himself and started running into the woods, he could hear the sounds of the other soldiers commenting on how killed the dragon and its riders so easily, he knew they would look for him, so putting as much distance as possible himself and them was the current plan.

Meanwhile, Rook slung his musket over his shoulder and mounted his horse, he would have to tell Nick that Bigby was still alive, but he knew that Nick wouldn't care for failure on a first attempt.

Bigby ran through the trees as fast as his legs would carry him, he was angry that he had been reduced to a mere man who had to run away, but he would recover his missing soul at all costs. He stopped in a small clearing and took a moment to take in his surroundings, testing the motion in his arm as well; his nose told him that he would need to reach the port; he could smell the vial there.

Bigby's ears then alerted him to the sounds of snapping twigs and brushing grass, he looked around to find that a pack of 10 black wolves had surrounded him, upon seeing them they started snarling at him; one of them spoke with a growling voice that matched his own in Wolf form "This one looks tasty" The other wolves chuckled menacingly as they sniffed Bigby's blood in the air and licked their lips.

The wolves all got closer, but Bigby wasn't afraid, in fact he was furious that they didn't recognize the God of Wolves before them. He leered up with glowing yellow eyes and growled at the pack leader menacingly "You dare stand up to me!? I am your God, you worthless curs, know your fucking place!"

The wolves all submitted to their God in an instant, going close to the floor and bowing their heads with whimpers, the pack leader rose his head up slowly and spoke in a much lighter tone "Master, forgive us, we did not know-" Bigby wasn't impressed; he grabbed the leader by its mane and stared into its eyes "You will repay me for this!" The wolves all nodded and quickly fled into the trees.

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><p>"Since when could he do that?" Gren spoke to the others who were all in shock at what Bigby had just done, Boy Blue responded "He is the God of Wolves, would you stand up to him if he was like that all the time?" Gren nodded in agreement and Snow took in what Blue had said, Bigby was powerful and the fear that he commanded over the wolves scared her a little, but she pushed such thoughts aside upon reminding herself that he would never think about hurting her or anyone else in Fabletown that way.<p>

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><p>Bigby continued walking for what seemed like hours, his shoulder was already healing up but it was still stiff from the impact, at least his thigh had healed fully; eventually Bigby came across a small village with a large two-story tavern in it. He needed to rest up and eat something, so this place would have to do.<p>

When Bigby entered the tavern he almost wished that he hadn't; it was filled with rough looking men, goblins and trolls, none of them looked like they were part of the Adversary's forces but none of them looked pleasant either. Bigby's shirt was torn and covered in blood and he looked like he'd been through a gauntlet; he caught the glances of the patrons but paid no attention to them as he walked up to the bar.

The barman was fat and looked in his 40's but seemed nice enough compared to everyone else in the place "What can I get ya?" Bigby sat on one the hard wooden stools and put his hands on the bar "Bottle of whiskey".

The barman handed over the bottle but didn't bother asking Bigby for any money, he didn't have any to give anyways. Bigby took his time sipping from the bottle; he overheard various pieces of conversation about the Adversary, the Empire's forces, but also of a large ship docked at the port with a large crew of Goblins and a scary looking woman present. It was obviously Mary and the ship must've been Nick's, so Bigby still had time to reach it before it left.

Just then another man sat down at the bar and took the bottle from Bigby's hands, taking a large swig of the stuff before setting it down on the bar again, Bigby turned to the man and spoke "I was drinking that" The man turned to him, he was creepy looking with a bald head, various tattoo's and slim muscles, he spoke with a mocking tone "I guess you're not anymore are ya bitch".

He turned his attention back to the wall of the bar and Bigby did the same, nodding his head slightly at the man's response.

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><p>Snow spoke for everyone "He's gonna hit him isn't he..." The others all collectively responded "Yep".<p>

* * *

><p>Bigby picked up the bottle and smashed it across the man's face, knocking him back down to the floor in a daze; no one in the bar seemed to care in the slightest. Bigby looked back at the barman as he dropped the broken bottle to the floor "Can you get me another one, please?" The barman grabbed another bottle and handed it to Bigby without a word.<p>

Bigby turned to the man on the floor; he seemed content to remain there upon seeing Bigby's face full of warning. Suddenly a mass of shouting and cheering was heard from the second floor of the tavern and Bigby looked up to see a group of men all chatting and roaring around a large table.

He went upstairs and spoke to them "Can I join you?" They all looked at Bigby and a Viking-looking man who was apparently their leader spoke up "Of course!"

The leader of this group had dark blue eyes, short blonde hair with a small well-kept beard and looked about Bigby's age physically; he was also in similar shape, he had a scar over his left eyebrow and weirdly enough, he spoke with a gravelly East London accent but had pronunciation in his voice as well; he was wearing similar attire to Bigby's though it looked more worn in and wasn't in need of repair.

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><p>Grendel's eye widened at the man "Holy shit!" The others looked at him and Holly spoke "What is it?" Gren spoke again with surprise "That's Beowulf!"<p>

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><p><strong>Next time: A fight occurs between the Saxon hero and the God of Wolves, with consequences to follow...<strong>

**So if anyone has watched the 2007 film Beowulf with Ray Winstone; the Beowulf in this story is based on the one in the film (hence the out-of-place accent) Beowulf won't be a recurring character in this story, I put him in becuase I thought it would be interesting to see how Gren responds to seeing him alive and well.**

**As always; please review, fav/follow if you like the story and I will see you soon!**


	10. Home Again

**Home Again – Brawl**

**So I finally finished off this chapter; it took me a while to get the fight scenes just right, I didn't want them to be too one-sided but I also didn't want them to be simple 'one on one' types either.**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

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><p>Holly spoke up "I thought he died when the Adversary invaded?" Gren looked at her with suppressed anger "That lowlife probably hid in his bed with his mistresses while the fighting was going on, I'm not saying he's a coward or that he can't fight, far from it..." Gren rubbed his shoulder where the wound was upon remembering how he lost his arm the first time.<p>

"But if he can take credit for things he didn't do, then he'll be there in a flash; his own accomplishments were maiming me, sleeping with and then killing my Mother, killing my half-Brother Fafnir who was his own fucking Son! That bastard should've died years ago..." Holly did her best to calm Gren down, she had never seen him so angry at anyone before; Gren never talked about his past, but it seemed that he had suffered just like everyone else had.

* * *

><p>Bigby had overheard something about a 'Harbinger' in Beowulf's conversation and because of this he had planned on talking with him, though he was still oblivious to Beowulf's identity.<p>

"So, what's your name, friend?" Beowulf spoke to Bigby from across the table.

"It's... Bigby" Bigby wasn't sure if anyone would get his real name from that.

Beowulf looked confused "Bigby? Does that stand for something?"

Bigby tried not to look surprised _"Shit"_, he gathered himself quickly and spoke confidently "Yeah, it, uh, stands for Big Boss..." He hoped that would work.

Beowulf chuckled and so did his company "Well, Big Boss, you certainly look like you've seen your fair share of battles and women..."

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><p>Snow wasn't impressed by the 'women' comment and spoke lowly "Asshole", Gren heard her however and perked up "Thank you"<p>

* * *

><p>Bigby didn't respond to the comment, but he did respond with a question "So, who's this 'Harbinger' you were talking about?"<p>

Beowulf looked more serious now as he leaned forward onto the table "The Harbinger of Doom is his title, he goes by the name of Nick apparently. He's put out a bounty on the Big Bad Wolf's head, 100,000 gold pieces for bringing him in alive, everyone in this place wants a piece of the action but no one knows where the Wolf is, only that he can take on a human appearance and is looking for a ship called the Adversary..."

Bigby was close to praying that no one would figure out who he was, he asked on impulse "Who are you?"

Beowulf stood up and spread his arms before shouting "I am Beowulf, a Saxon Lord and a slayer of monsters!"

He then pointed to Bigby "And you are my next encounter... Did you think I wouldn't be able to figure out your name, Wolf? 'Bigby'... it's so obvious that an idiot could figure it out!"

Beowulf was ready to attack and Bigby got ready for a fight. He stood up quickly and kicked the table into Beowulf; he fell forwards onto it with a grunt and when he looked up Bigby punched him across the face.

* * *

><p>Gren stood up and yelled "God fucking bless Bigby Wolf!" The others looked at him and Gren sat down with a smug grin on his face.<p>

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><p>With Beowulf apparently unconscious, one of the men behind Bigby picked up a chair and smashed it over his head, Bigby hit the table but recovered quickly, turning around and kicking the man in the crotch, dropping him to his knees, before kneeing him in the face with his other leg, the man fell backwards unconscious with a bleeding nose.<p>

A goblin tackled Bigby into the table and went to punch him, Bigby blocked the attack and gouged out the goblin's eyes with one hand, he got to his feet and punched the goblin across the face before slamming his head down onto the table, knocking him out.

Beowulf wasn't unconscious however; he hopped the table and threw himself at Bigby, tackling him across the room and into the wall of the tavern, he proceeded to assault Bigby with hard punches and sharp knees to his body; Bigby tried his best to defend himself, but the Saxon was a lot stronger than he expected and wouldn't be beaten so easily.

In the heat of the moment, Bigby had forgotten how the Saxon had beaten Grendel with his bare hands before; Bigby however had tried but failed to do so, being forced to change form to beat the monster, a form that Bigby didn't possess at this moment in time.

Bigby managed to grab Beowulf's leg as he went to knee him again and forced him backwards to the floor, punching him a couple of times in the face afterwards; Beowulf grabbed Bigby's arm as he went to punch him again and gripped it tightly as he punched Bigby in the face. Bigby fell backwards in a slight daze, this guy could hit hard, really hard.

Beowulf got up and picked up Bigby by the collar of his ruined shirt, Bigby head butted the Saxon but it didn't make him let go, he kicked Beowulf in the stomach and separated them from each other, though Bigby's shirt was no more. Beowulf threw down the remains of Bigby's shirt and removed his own shirt afterwards, apparently believing in a weird sense of equality when it came to fighting.

Beowulf rushed forward and went to punch Bigby, he ducked the punch and hit the Saxon in the gut before delivering a swift uppercut to his chin; now in a slight daze, Bigby roundhouse kicked Beowulf in the face and he stumbled to the side.

Bigby tackled Beowulf into the wooden rail of the second floor and kneed him a couple of times in stomach, hitting him hard across the face afterwards. Beowulf countered another punch and pinned Bigby against the railing before punching him and kicking him straight through it, Bigby fell onto one of the tables below with a loud crash and the patrons that were sat at it all looked at him in confusion.

Beowulf shouted from above "Get him!" The 3 patrons (1 goblin and 2 trolls) dragged Bigby to his feet and one of the trolls punched him in the face; Bigby stumbled into the bar and fell onto one of the patrons that were sat at it, it happened to be the same man he had glassed earlier. The man exclaimed angrily "You spilled my drink!" and shoved Bigby away.

He went to punch a dazed Bigby, but Bigby ducked the punch and tackled the man into the bar before smashing him a couple of times in the face with a metal tankard that had been resting on the bar, knocking him out.

Bigby turned around just as the goblin went to stab him with its dagger; Bigby grabbed the goblins hand and managed to pry the knife away from it before stabbing it into the goblins neck and dragging it across quickly, its red blood spurted over Bigby but he paid no attention to it.

Beowulf had been walking down the stairs as the fighting had been going on, Bigby threw the dagger at him and the Saxon tilted his head to the side, the dagger flew straight past him and landed in the eye of one of the other patrons, the force of the throw caused the blade to go in deep and it killed the man in an instant, he fell forwards and the dagger went straight through the back of his head with a wet sounding crack at the impact of the floor.

The 2 trolls and the other patrons backed away in fear as the two men continued their vicious display; more punches and kicks were thrown from both parties but neither would back down, Bigby got the upper hand as he stomped on Beowulf's leg and kicked him hard in the face afterwards. Beowulf got up weakly and pulled out a knife, he started attacking Bigby with ferocity and precision; Bigby dodged and parried the Saxon's fierce assault but a few slashes did get through Bigby's defence here and there.

Eventually Beowulf had Bigby pinned against the bar and started forcing the knife into the centre Bigby's chest, it entered slowly as the skin was pierced, a few drops of blood oozed from the wound but it started flowing a little quicker as the knife went deeper; both men were bloodied, beaten and looked as though they could pass out at any moment, but they were still strong enough to continue fighting.

Bigby was groaning ever louder in pain and wouldn't be able to hold off the Saxon's great strength for long, so he made a mental apology to Snow and went feral.

Bigby allowed the knife to go a little further in so he could lean forward and clamp his teeth into Beowulf's ear, he ripped it off and the Saxon fell back with a loud cry as the side of his head started pouring blood without signs of stopping. Bigby spat out the ear and grabbed Beowulf's right arm, breaking it at the elbow and leaving it in an odd position afterwards.

Bigby caught his breath a little and spoke lowly "I know your buddy Gren... an eye for an eye"

Bigby grunted as he pulled the knife from his chest and then stabbed it deep into Beowulf's right shoulder, the Saxon let out a humiliating cry of pain as Bigby dragged the knife across slowly with force; his intention was to rid Beowulf of his arm like he had done to Grendel.

* * *

><p>Snow was in shock "What the hell is he doing!?" Gren stood up for Bigby's actions however as he rubbed his shoulder again "An eye for an eye..." Holly and Woody seemed to agree with him and Snow could do nothing but agree internally and watch the violence before her. Beowulf had intended on killing her love, so in this instance she would forgive Bigby for his actions, she would've probably done the same if given the chance...<p>

* * *

><p>Bigby got the knife across the top of Beowulf's shoulder before something blunt hit him across the back the head with a sharp impact, he turned around dazed and saw a very big, muscular troll with red scaly skin much like Holly's standing behind him wearing Imperial colours and wielding a ball-bearing cosh; the troll hit Bigby hard across the face with the cosh and he fell unconscious from the blow.<p>

A man in an Officer's uniform of Imperial colours with a blue fedora hat and cape took the cosh from the troll and made himself known "What is going on in here!?"

The barman explained what had happened as a horrifically injured and very limp Beowulf was dragged up to his feet by members of his company, the dagger was removed from his shoulder but there was little movement in his arm.

Afterwards, the troll picked up Bigby and shackled his hands. The Officer examined him and nodded "He's the one that killed the dragon; we'll take him and go" The barman spoke up "What about my bar? Do I get any kind of compensation for this!?" The troll looked at the barman menacingly and spoke with a gruff tone "No"

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><p>When Bigby fell unconscious, the Mirror reverted back to normal and the others became confused; Boy Blue spoke "What happened?" The Mirror replied without rhyming "When Bigby falls unconscious or falls asleep, there is no need for me to show you his progress; besides, you all need rest, you've been sat in here for nearly 6 hours"<p>

The group stood up and a combination of hunger and dehydration hit them in various ways; they had no idea how long Bigby would be out for so they would just have to come and go as the day went on. It was strange how the Mirror affected them when they watched Bigby in the Homelands, if they stared for just 1 second then in reality it would've been 2 seconds despite not feeling like it.

* * *

><p>Bigby woke up at the splashing of cold water on his face. He shook his head and tried to get an idea of his surroundings, his eyes were squinted from bruising and his vision was blurry, but his hearing was slowly becoming clearer. He could feel cold metal tight around his wrists and a mix of male voices all around him.<p>

Someone spoke with a gruff and animalistic tone "He's awake"

The troll that had knocked Bigby unconscious gripped his chin and forced Bigby to look up into the eyes of the Officer that commanded the patrol. The Officer knelt and smirked "I must admit, I've never seen anyone kill a dragon that quickly before... who are you?"

Bigby spoke with a strained voice, he was tired and the pain of his encounter with Beowulf was coming back to him in waves, his chest hurt most of all "Kiss my ass"

The Officer gave a brief chuckle "Don't worry, we can get you to talk properly when we reach the outpost, it should only be about a mile away now..."

Bigby needed to get out of this situation fast; the Empire wouldn't be able to torture him physically for information but it no doubt had sorcerers and witches that could get information from him using magic, and Bigby knew too much about Fabletown to let any of it fall into enemy hands...

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><p>Meanwhile; Snow and the others had flocked back into the Business Office in the early hours of the morning to see Bigby's progress, they were tired but Bigby's adventure was exciting enough to watch that they were never bored of it.<p>

"What if Bigby can't escape them?" Snow spoke towards Cindy, who replied with a sip of her extra strong coffee "Trust me, Bigby can stand interrogation in all its forms, he taught me remember. But if they use magic, then he'll have no choice but to cooperate... Don't worry Snow, he'll escape somehow"

Snow became worried "But what if they kill him?" Gren chuckled at her response, he was still happy with Bigby's actions against Beowulf "He'll survive, he always does somehow..."

* * *

><p>Bigby was being dragged behind the troll as the patrol of Imperial troops continued walking along a hard dirt track in between two thick lines of tress that led into the woods. Bigby must've been unconscious for several hours as it was now night time and the moon was shining bright along with the stars; they always shined brighter in the Homelands, it was a truly peaceful sight...<p>

The troll was dragging him by the chain of his shackles; in his current form and condition Bigby could beat maybe 3 of the 10 man patrol even with the shackles on, but the troll would be the biggest problem, if he grabbed Bigby then it would all be over.

But then something in the wind caught Bigby's nose; he smelled the wolves that he had encountered earlier that day and they were close, very close; this would have to work.

Bigby stopped himself from moving and the troll turned around in surprise "What are you doing, keep walking" Bigby started growling like a Wolf, the growl intensified gradually as Bigby lifted his head to reveal his eyes were red and his teeth were gritted.

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><p>Briar spoke up "What is he doing?" The others all looked closer, they couldn't tell either.<p>

* * *

><p>Suddenly Bigby yelled "Kill them!" in a very wolfish voice. The 10 black wolves that Bigby encountered earlier all jumped out from both sides of the woods and proceeded to assault the patrol with tooth and claw.<p>

The entire patrol struggled to fight off the feral assault; the wolves were blending in with their dark surroundings and their bloodlust made them more savage than normal. The screams of men as they were torn to pieces by the hungry pack filled the night air along with the raw smell of blood; it was all too familiar to Bigby, but that was a long time ago and he had no intention of going back to that life, the life of a lonely monster...

* * *

><p>Blue spoke up in surprise "Wow, I never knew he could do that!" Cindy smirked "I did..." The others all looked at her and Beauty asked in disbelief "How?" Cindy continued to smirk "He used some wolves to gain information in Germany during WW2..."<p>

* * *

><p>In amongst the mayhem, the troll let go of Bigby and fought off 3 wolves at once, whether or not he survived would depend on fate itself. Bigby ran towards the Officer, who was fending off the pack leader with his sword; Bigby tackled the Officer to ground and pried the key to his shackles from the man's belt, the Officer managed a lucky swipe at Bigby's stomach as he stood up however and cut him deep.<p>

Bigby fell backwards with the attack but paid no attention to it as the Officer continued to fight the pack leader with fierce determination; Bigby scrambled to his feet and ran through the woods. It started raining heavily all of a sudden and the sounds of screaming men and tearing flesh were dying down, Bigby couldn't tell whether it was from slaughter or simply putting distance between himself and the action.

Bigby continued to run through the vast woods and the heavy rain but noticed that he was becoming weaker, his wounds were taking their toll on him at last and he was losing blood at a more rapid pace now; but fortune seemed to be smiling on him.

Bigby came to a clearing that had a decently sized and modest looking cottage in the middle of it; he finally removed his shackles and stumbled towards the wooden door, banging on it hard, but there was no response. Bigby suddenly fell limp and passed out from exhaustion, but could've sworn that he fell onto a wooden floor as he did so...

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><p>Woody was in shock at the sight of the cottage "I know that place..."<p>

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><p><strong>Next time: The sins of the past come back to haunt Bigby...<strong>

**Next chapter probably won't have any action in it, but be prepared for a new charcter introduction, this one's from the comic series (Let's see if you can figure out who it is)**

**As always; PLEASE leave a review, favourite/follow the story if you are liking it and I will see you all next time!**

**Also, I know it's 3 days away but just in case I don't upload anything on the 25th, Merry Christmas everyone!**


	11. Sins Of The Past part 1

**Sins of the Past part 1– Red Riding Hood**

**Well as it happens I can write a chapter in just one day :) I started this one at about 11am today, 12 hours later and I'm satisfied with what I've written. Plz enjoy!**

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><p>Bigby woke up with the feel of the morning sun on his face; the amber rays pierce through the skin of his eyelids ever so slightly, but it's enough for him to stir into consciousness. Bigby noticed that he was sleeping in a single bed on a soft mattress and with a plaid green blanket hand-stitched out of cotton covering him, the bed smelt of musk as though it hadn't been used in quite some time and Bigby could smell the faintest traces of the person that presumably used to sleep in the bed.<p>

The person was female, elderly and seemed to have a penchant for baking and knitting, the blanket had the same smell as her so she must've knitted it herself, the smell of cooked bread dough was evident on the bed as well, the women must've baked a lot and apparently cared little for how the smell stained her skin and clothes. Bigby sat up on the edge of the bed and looked down at his torso.

He almost gasped at the sight of bandages and stitches covering his wounds, though they were a patch job compared to what Swineheart or even Bigby himself could do; the bandages had been tied with simple knots that would never be taught to Medical staff and while the stitches would hold up, they were deeper than they should be and the extra strain on the skin was evident as a result.

Bigby was lacking his boots, which were standing at the foot of the bed, and was wearing a simple pair of white slacks that were a tad too big for him; he looked behind him and out of the bedside window, the view was a lovely sight. The way the sun painted the landscape with a healthy orange glow, the slight sparkles of morning dew on the grass and the wind rustling lightly through the trees; it was looking to be a beautiful day indeed.

Suddenly a knock was heard at the door across the room and a softly spoken female voice sounded throughout "Are you awake yet, Mister?" The women on the other side sounded young, maybe late teens to early adulthood and sounded like a sweet girl from her voice alone. Bigby composed himself and stood up "Yes, I'm awake".

The woman in question entered and Bigby nearly fainted from the sight: it was Little Red Riding Hood, though she wasn't so little anymore. She looked about 20 facially, her hair was chestnut brown, wavy much like Beauty's and went past her shoulders; her eyes were a striking, almost emerald green colour; she had a slim but curved physique like most of the Fable women had and she was indeed very beautiful; she was petite in height as well, though not that much shorter than Snow, maybe an inch or two.

She was wearing the same red hood that she wore all those years ago, it was obviously a different hood however as it was much longer than the previous one and looked newer, the colour was more radiant for a start. Underneath that she was wearing a very modest looking charcoal coloured dress and short black boots made from cheap-looking leather. She obviously wasn't as well-off as Woody had made her out to be, but she wasn't poor either; her clothes were hand-made (presumably by her) but the cottage and its decorations all looked as though they had value.

Bigby seemed to have been staring at the woman for quite some time as she became uncomfortable under his gaze "Um, sir, you're staring at me..." Bigby snapped back to reality with a shake of his head "Sorry, uh... what's your name, Miss?" The woman spoke with some caution, she seemed intimidated by the rugged brute before her "My full name is Red Riding Hood, but those who know me well call me Ride for short"

Bigby raised an eyebrow "Ride? Isn't that a bit, I don't know, racy for a nickname?" Ride giggled "Yes, I suppose it is, but it's just a shortening of Riding so I never take much notice of it" There was an awkward silence then as the two continued staring at each other; Bigby couldn't believe that Red Riding Hood was standing before him all grown up after centuries away from the Homelands, but Ride seemed more interested at how toned Bigby's chest was and his ruggedly handsome face.

"Uh, what is your name Sir? Just so that we're not strangers..." Bigby froze then and scanned through every alias he had ever used in the past, the list wasn't long but 'Bigby' was out of the question, if Beowulf had figured it out then who was to say that Ride couldn't. Bigby settled on one "My names John, John Holber"

Ride nodded her head "Ok, John; I've got some spare clothes for you in here and breakfast is ready, I hope you're hungry" Bigby smiled as he nodded; Ride opened the large wardrobe and pulled out a selection of clothes; she left the room afterwards so Bigby could change. Bigby went through almost every item of clothing until he found clothes in his size; a white shirt similar to the one that Beowulf was wearing and brown slacks that looked like they were suited for lumber work, putting on his boots afterwards.

The clothes were old but well-kept, they smelt faintly of alcohol and had underlying fragrances of various trees from the local forests; then realization dawned on Bigby, these were the Woodsman's clothes!

* * *

><p>Meanwhile back in the Business Office, the others were still coming to terms with how Red Riding Hood was in the presence of the Big Bad Wolf. Snow spoke to Woody "What happened between them?" Woody looked distant "She's the one that got away from him, her and her Grandma, and it was all because of me..."<p>

Snow looked back at the Mirror and felt sorry for her love "I should've gone with, make this easier on him..." Woody patted Snow's shoulder "Bigby'll be ok Snow, he's probably thinking about you right now" Snow couldn't deny that she and Bigby kept each other in their thoughts constantly, especially when things seemed bad; it was this mindset with which Snow was able to function around other people during Bigby's 8 month 'death'.

Briar spoke to Woody "Will he do anything to her?" Woody looked at Briar with some surprise "Bigby's changed a lot since then, if anything he'll probably try and do the opposite of hurting her"

* * *

><p>Bigby left the room, which he had by now assumed belonged to Ride's Grandmother, and exited into the middle of the cottage. It was a spacious room with a lit stone fireplace at the back, square windows on all sides, a small dining table with 2 carved wooden chairs in the middle and a large stove and larder in what was obviously the kitchen, there was another room concealed by a door on the other side which must've been Ride's.<p>

Bigby made his way over to the table and sat down on one of the chairs; Ride came over to him with two metal plates filled with cuts of venison, boar and bread on the side, Ride sat down opposite him still wearing her red hood "I don't get many visitors around here, Mr Holber; you're my first proper guest in months now"

Bigby looked up from his food "Please, call me John. So do you live here alone?" It felt so weird for Bigby to be asking these questions, he knew the answers to some of them but if Ride knew who he was then she would probably call for help in a flash.

Ride looked saddened as she replied "Only now, I used to live with my Grandmother, but, she passed away only 3 years ago..." Bigby felt strangely saddened by Ride's Grandmother's death "I'm sorry to hear that"

Ride cracked a small smile "I thank you for your sympathy, she lived a very long and happy life at least; it was illness that took her in the end, not even the Big Bad Wolf could kill her..." Her expression turned more determined when she mentioned Bigby; he didn't want to be here right now but Ride had been the one to save him and bring him in so he would stay for as long as she would let him.

Bigby decided to try something else "You know I uh... I know the Big Bad Wolf, personally" Ride looked at Bigby in shock, she didn't know what to make of that information "You do? You... know him?" Bigby nodded "Yeah, he's the Sheriff of my community back home"

Ride looked suspicious "Where is home for you, John?" Bigby didn't falter "I live in the Mundane world that's connected to these Homelands by invisible portals" Ride nodded "I have heard of these portals and of this 'Mundane world' you speak of, but no one has ever been able to find these portals before"

Bigby took a bite of the venison "So you don't believe me?" Ride snorted "Which part? The part where you know the Big Bad Wolf or the part where you come from a world that I don't even know exists?" Bigby pulled out his lighter "This item is from the Mundane world, let me show you what it does"

Bigby flicked open the lighter and sparked it up, lighting a candle in the centre of the table with it; Ride stared at it with an inquisitive gaze, Bigby handed the lighter to her and Ride mimicked his action of flicking it until it sparked up "Amazing, you can create fire on the go with this anytime you want to?" Bigby took the lighter back from her "Yeah, I use it for smoking; in the other world the smells get to me-" Bigby stopped himself upon realising that he had just let it slip that he may not be human.

Ride seemed amused at his sudden pause "John, are you a Lycan?" Lycans (or Werewolves as both the Mundies and Bigby preferred to call them) were common throughout the Homelands, but they kept to themselves and were a secluded race to begin with, to Bigby's knowledge there were no Lycans in the Mundane world at all...

Bigby gathered himself "Uh yeah, I am; I don't like changing form though, I feel normal as a human..." Ride nodded "I understand wanting to feel normal; so tell me about the Wolf, is he kept on a tight leash as he should be?" That should've hurt but Bigby just chuckled at her response "No, nothing like that. He came to us about 3 centuries ago, he was looking for redemption for what he'd done; and he found it quite recently actually, he has friends, he's even found love with someone..."

Ride was shocked by what she was hearing "Is she deaf, dumb and blind?" That normally would've made Bigby angry "No, she happens to be Snow White..." Ride was even more surprised "I've heard of her; the fairest beauty in all the land is what they call her, but I thought she was married to Prince Charming?" Bigby looked at her in amusement "You're way behind on the news then; Snow divorced Charming centuries ago when she found him sleeping with her sister Rose Red. But now she's with the Big Bad Wolf, we call him Bigby for short, and they're quite happy together.

* * *

><p>Snow's heart warmed at how Bigby described their relationship to Ride; she felt so lucky to be with someone who loved and cared for her as much as Bigby did.<p>

* * *

><p>Ride was taking in what Bigby was saying but couldn't believe what she was hearing nonetheless "Does she know what he's done? Does anyone know what he's done!?" Bigby nodded with a half smile "Trust me when I say that everyone hated him when he first arrived, and like I said, he's only recently acquired everyone's trust completely, one of his close friends is an old enemy, you know him actually... the Woodsman"<p>

Ride seemed more interested now "Yes I know him, he cut me and my Grandma out of the Big Ba- I mean Bigby's stomach all those years ago, he lived here for a while actually as a guest, you're wearing his clothes. I thought he killed him... But how can they be friends? Bigby is still a monster!"

Bigby shrugged "When you're in a community like ours, you have to bury old hatreds just to survive. Bigby isn't the only monster in Fabletown but he's certainly the worst" Bigby had to at least big himself up in front of Ride, it wouldn't do any good for him to say that he was the second best monster in Fabletown.

"Snow came to him as she thought he would be the only one tough enough to keep Fables in line and stop them from killing each other, she infected him with Lycanthropy so he could take on a human appearance and the rest is history"

Ride was torn between accepting that Bigby had changed and the possibility that the man before her was lying about his reformation, though why he would lie to her was a mystery, so she had no choice but to accept the truth, though she would still take some time to come to terms with it.

Bigby then remembered how Blue had told him about the Fables last stand at a castle before they left the Homelands on Bluebeard's ship "You know, Boy Blue is there as well, he thought you were dead"

Ride was confused by this "I don't know anyone called Boy Blue, John..." Bigby could tell that she was telling the truth "But he saw you die... he and you were together at the time" Ride shook her head "Sorry, I don't know anyone by that name; I haven't left this area since the Wolf attacked me..."

Bigby leaned back in his chair and muttered "Sorry Blue..."

* * *

><p>The others looked at Blue, he looked as though he was about to cry at hearing the news "The Ride I met must've been an Imperial spy..." Cindy hugged Blue as a friendly gesture; he wouldn't lose it because of this, though it was still sad to hear that Ride didn't even know who he was.<p>

* * *

><p>Bigby and Ride had finished breakfast by now and Bigby offered to wash the plates "You know; I have business in the Homelands but I can take you back to my world afterwards if you want..."<p>

Ride surprised Bigby then "That sounds tempting; I mean Woody's there, this Boy Blue you spoke of sounds nice so I should probably meet him as well, and then there's Bigby... There isn't anything for me here anymore."

Bigby seemed hopeful "So, will you join me on the way back?" Ride looked at Bigby and sighed "I don't know yet, John; it's a big decision so I'll need time to think about it-"

A loud knock was heard at the door and Bigby's eyes shot towards it "Are you expecting anyone?" Ride shook her head and lifted the carpet just in front of the fireplace to reveal a hidden door to the cellar "Get in here; if they're looking for you then I don't want any trouble" Bigby got into the cellar and peeked through the floorboards as Ride covered the door again.

Ride opened the door to see a rather intimidating looking man with buzz cut brown hair standing on the other side; he was being covered by a thick grey cloak. Rook smiled wickedly "Morning Miss, I'm looking for someone who may have come this way; he's about 5'8, rugged face, brown hair, good shape"

Ride was a sweet girl by default but this man had scared her into a corner already "Sorry no, I live alone here..."

Rook leant against the door frame "He goes by the name of Bigby..."

Ride almost gave away her secret, but something in her gut told her to continue the charade "Sorry sir, I don't know anyone by that name..."

Rook was scanning Ride's face for the slightest trace of secrecy or faltering, after a moment he stood up straight again "Good day, Miss"

Rook left and Ride caught her breath after closing the door; she let Bigby out of the cellar and crossed her arms at him "Who are you?" Bigby pulled his usual scowl "Can you get me to the docks without any trouble along the way?"

Ride didn't move a muscle "Why?" Bigby moved towards her and Ride stepped backwards a little in fear, Bigby noticed this and stopped in his tracks "I'm not gonna hurt you, just get me to the docks and you'll never have to see me ever again"

Ride pondered her response with much thought; she sighed and nodded her head "Ok"

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><p><strong>Next time: (Next chapter will be two scenes in one) We have Bigby and Ride going to the docksRook, Artax and Damien looking for Bigby at the tavern...**

**Well I managed another chapter before Christmas :) In case I don't get another uploaded tomorrow or on Christmas Day; MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!**

**As always, PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW, Favourite/Follow the story if you like it (it's got a ways to go yet before it finishes trust me) and I will see you all next time!**


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